Menopausal Management

Menopause is a point in time when you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle. The time leading up to menopause is called perimenopause. This is when a lot of women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) start to transition to menopause. They may notice changes in their menstrual cycles or have symptoms like hot flashes.

What are the Signs & Symptoms of menopause?

You may be transitioning into menopause if you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:

• Hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms (a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over your body).

• Night sweats and/or cold flashes.

• Vaginal dryness that causes discomfort during sex.

• Urinary urgency (a pressing need to pee more frequently).

• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).

• Emotional changes (irritability, mood swings or mild depression).

• Dry skin, dry eyes or dry mouth.

• Worsening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Management & Treatment

Menopause is a natural process that your body goes through. In some cases, you may not need any treatment for menopause. When discussing treatment for menopause with your provider, it’s about treating the symptoms of menopause that disrupt your life. There are many different types of treatments for the symptoms of menopause. The main types of treatment for menopause are: Hormone therapy & Nonhormonal treatments.

Hormone therapy

During menopause, your body goes through major hormonal changes — decreasing the amount of hormones it makes. Your ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone. When your ovaries no longer make enough estrogen and progesterone, hormone therapy can make up for lost hormones. Hormone therapy boosts your hormone levels and can help symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. It can also help prevent osteoporosis.

The health risks of hormone therapy include:

• Endometrial cancer (only increased if you use estrogen therapy and still have your uterus)

• Gallstones and gallbladder issues

• Blood clots

• Deep vein thrombosis

• Pulmonary embolism

• Stroke

Non-Hormonal therapy

Though hormone therapy is a very effective method for relieving menopause symptoms, it’s not the perfect treatment for everyone. Nonhormonal treatments include changes to your diet and lifestyle. These treatments are often good options for people who have other medical conditions or have recently been treated for breast cancer. The main nonhormonal treatments that your provider may recommend include:

• Changing your diet

• Avoiding triggers to hot flashes

• Exercising

• Joining support groups

• Prescription medications