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Treatment with hormones may be helpful if you have severe symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood issues, or vaginal dryness.

Discuss the decision to take hormones thoroughly with your doctor, weighing your risks against any possible benefits. Pay careful attention to the many options currently available to you that do not involve taking hormones. Every woman is different. Your doctor should be aware of your entire medical history when considering prescribing hormone therapy.

If you have a uterus and decide to take estrogen, you must also take progesterone to prevent endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus). If you do not have a uterus, progesterone is not necessary.

HORMONE THERAPY

Several major studies have questioned the health benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy, including the risk of developing breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots.

Current guidelines support the use of HT for the treatment of hot flashes. Specific recommendations:

• T may be started in women who have recently entered menopause.
• HRT should not be used in women who started menopause many years ago.
• The medicine should not be used for longer than 5 years.
• Women taking HT should have a baseline low risk for stroke, heart disease, blood clots, or breast cancer.

To reduce the risks of estrogen therapy and still gain the benefits of the treatment, your doctor may recommend:

• Using estrogen or progesterone regimens that do not contain the form of progesterone used in the study
• Using a lower dose of estrogen or a different estrogen preparation (for instance, a vaginal cream rather than a pill)
• Having frequent and regular pelvic exams and Pap smears to detect problems as early as possible
• Having frequent and regular physical exams, including breast exams and mammograms

See also: Hormone therapy for more information about taking hormone therapy.

ALTERNATIVES TO HT

There are some medications available to help with mood swings, hot flashes, and other symptoms. These include low doses of antidepressants such as paroxetine (Paxil), venlafaxine (Effexor), bupropion (Wellbutrin), and fluoxetine (Prozac), or clonidine, which is normally used to control high blood pressure. Gabapentin is also effective for reducing hot flashes.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

The good news is that you can take many steps to reduce your menopause symptoms without taking hormones:

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods
• Dress lightly and in layers
• Eat soy foods
• Get adequate calcium and vitamin D in food and/or supplements
• Get plenty of exercise
• Perform Kegel exercises daily to strengthen the muscles of your vagina and pelvis
• Practice slow, deep breathing whenever a hot flash starts to come on (try taking six breaths per minute)
• Remain sexually active
• See an acupuncture specialist
• Try relaxation techniques such as yoga, tai chi, or meditation
• Use water-based lubricants during sexual intercourse

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What the Kegel exercises actually do is target the PC muscles which form the floor of vagina. Keeping the Kegels in control are really essential and only if the Kegels are in control they can be said to be strong. Having strong Kegel muscles can make your sex life really awesome. If you have control over the Kegels than you can provide a lot of pleasure to your partner and make him squirm. Also it will give you multiple orgasms by which all your desires will be fulfilled.

It is always necessary to start with the Kegel exercises at an earlier stage of life because the muscles are fresh then. Once menopause is achieved the muscles become really weak and then it becomes difficult to gain control over them, if you gain control over them at an earlier stage of life that would be better. People care a lot about their external looks but nowadays they also focus on their internal looks and Kegel exercises provides one such mean which develops and improves our body internally. The effect of these exercises will not be seen in an overnight but it takes normally 2 months to see some effect.

Some benefits of Kegel exercises are -

• Help achieve multiple orgasm

• Helps in child birth and regain strength of your muscles after the birth of your child.

There are various gadgets available in the market which can help you perform the Kegel exercises in a much better way. Also make sure you breathe properly while practicing Kegel exercises. If your stomach, leg or buttock moves along with the exercise then you should recognize that you are proceeding in the wrong direction and performing the exercise in a wrong way.

Find out more in the Vagina Bible!

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We all know what menopause is, but do we? We also all know that it does not seem to effect any two women in exactly the same way. Some women sail thought no real noticeable symptoms, yet others suffer with hot flashes, mood swings, and a host of other physical issues. The real secret to menopause relief seems to the acceptance of the changes that are happening, persistence and flexibility in finding treatments that work for you and a good sense of humor.

As I type this I realize that I might have death threats being put out against me. I am in no way downplaying the real emotional and physical toll that menopause takes on many. In fact I am saying that this is such a big issue for many with no real sure fire, 100% solutions that you need to respect that you are against a very formidable issue, so you are best served by strategies that are long term and aimed at preserving your health, relationships and your sanity.

The bottom line is time keeps marching on and every perky girl who ever graced the silver screen or the pages of magazines has either gone thought it or will be going thought it. Thousands before us have gone through it. It is inevitable, but out response to it is not. Our bodies might give us hot flashes, but we decide if they make us ashamed and upset that time is catching up to us or if they are a chance to laugh. You need to decide if you call it a hot flash or is it a power surge.

Acceptance is important, because it will happen no matter what, but finding solutions is very important. Talk to other woman in your family and find out what helped them with menopause. Talk to trusted girlfriends and coworkers. Research on the internet and make some simple changes, like adding soy products for the estrogen like properties in soybeans. In countries with high soybean consumption woman do not experience the same levels menopause symptoms that we have in western cultures.

Talk to your physician. Your health care providers are there for a reason. Don’t be ashamed to tell them what your problems are. They can offer treatments, alternatives, and ideas. All they do all day hear what is working and not working for people in treating this and many other conditions. Relief might be as simple as a little estrogen cream applied once a day in your case or drinking black cohosh tea. Menopause help will not come find you, so be your own advocate and find something that works for you.

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It might be surprising for some to hear that others might experience premature menopause especially if you strictly associate this period in a woman’s life with an older age of about 40 and above. It’s a little disturbing as well to know that there might be instances when you yourself might be a candidate for this condition and you might experience it in the least expected earlier time of your life.

Indeed premature menopause does happen. On the average, a woman may experience such stoppage of the monthly period naturally between the age of 40 and 50. During this period, the ovaries no longer produce a mature egg and thus any preparatory event such as thickening of the lining of the uterus along with sudden surge of progesterone, no longer takes place. Since the surrounding tissues of the uterus will not change by addition of potential nourishment, the usual monthly period is also absent.

Is the Condition Natural?

Such a condition can be natural or induced by what is triggered by different things including ones genes, a medical procedure underwent by the concerned individual, and even serious medical conditions.

Commonly, one may tell if they are undergoing this condition through various symptoms. One obvious thing to be encountered is very little, irregular or missed monthly visits especially among those who have a normal menstrual cycle. Aside from irregular visits, too slow or too heavy blood flow may also indicate that your fertility is dropping too soon.

A sudden sensation of something hot enveloping your upper extremities is also another good sign to watch out for. Other related symptoms can be observed as well.

These include: lowered libido, sudden changes in ones mood, one easily gets depressed even if there is no particular reason to do so, incontinence or sudden loss of control on one’s peeing, drying vagina, relatively dry mouth, eyes and even skin, and sleeplessness.

Take a good look at your family background also proves to be helpful in assessing whether you are indeed undergoing such a condition or not. If an autoimmune disorder runs in the family, chances of you experiencing premature menopause is quite high. Women who have undergone chemotherapy or any form of radiation therapy also posses high risk of experiencing earlier fertility drop. Also, those who have direct family members who have experienced the same are likely to pass the same condition to you.

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Although women who approach fifty or beyond usually suffer from a natural condition, which redefines their monthly period, no one perhaps has a clear understanding about what is menopause?

Individuals may have various thoughts on this condition but which ones are true and which are myths. Taking a brief information tour might help one be enlightened about this condition.

So what is menopause really? Some women may think that this condition happens among a few select women, but it is every woman once they progress with age will experience this condition. The term is not merely the condition but rather it is more of the changes that before or after the normal monthly period of a woman stops.

Such event is often referred to as the signal that tells the women that her reproductive period is more or less over. This is supported by the fact that during this time, the ovaries, which are the source of a mature egg, no longer release a mature ovum. As a result, there will be no disintegration of the uterine lining and so no monthly period.

There are two general types of this condition: natural (which happens in women 40 years old and above) or the premature (those that happen in women below 40 years of age). In the first condition, the whole thing is gradual and is divided into three phases: perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause. The perimenopause stage is classically associated with significantly lowered estrogen production.

Also, during this time, mood swings, depression, fatigue, insomnia, racing heart, dryness in the vagina and subsequent reduced sexual drive, irritability, and headaches are also relatively pronounced during this transition period. That is why this is considered as the preparatory stage since you will need to be ready to get used to these changes.

In the menopause stage, the ovaries have completely stopped producing mature eggs, which are ready for fertilization. Because of this event, a pronounced stoppage of the usual monthly period happens. Estrogen levels in among under this period are quite very low. The postmenopause stage is the years that will pass after the menopausal stage. Uncomfortable symptoms may have also evaporated during this period. The associated discomforts of the first two stages are no longer evident due to the reduced estrogen level. Now that you have a clearer understanding of what is menopause, take the steps to prepare yourself.

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As women reach menopause, breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer are threatening us. Moreover, in order to mask menopause symptoms, menopause women have to take synthetic or bio-identical estrogen, which is a strong carcinogen.

Everyday, due to genetic and environmental factors, some cells out of the trillions in your body may turn cancerous spontaneously. As Rome was not built in one day, cancer is not developed in one day too. At the time of diagnosis, most cancers have been in the body for 10 years.

During those 10 years, cancer growth obeys no rule. Cancers develop at different rates over different periods in different people. Something in the body promotes cancer growth, such as estrogen, which stimulates cancer cells to multiply out of control. Fortunately, something can inhibit cancer development.

Green tea is a secret weapon that fights cancers, because it contains high concentration of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), one of the strongest antioxidants which shows impressive activity against many kinds of cancer.

EGCG is one class of a larger group of protective phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are natural chemicals widely distributed in plants. They have powerful anticancer activity and also protect against coronary heart disease. No wonder eating more fruits and vegetables, in whatever form, is clearly a great way to take advantage of the healing properties of food.

Studies found that the well-known anticancer activity of green tea is a result of its inhibiting one of the most frequently over expressed enzymes in human cancers, called urokinase. Extracts of green tea have been shown to prevent cancer in animals, and recently similar claims have been made about black tea.

All true tea comes from the same plant species (Camellia sinensis), such as black tea, pu-erh tea, oolong- tea, so they should contain EGCG. However, herbal teas are not true tea, so they do not contain EGCG.

You need to drink about four cups of green tea daily to get the optimal dose of EGCG. EGCG deteriorates quickly, so drink tea as fresh as possible and discard tea which has been kept overnight. Although green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, it is still a stimulant. Brewed tea contains about half as much caffeine as instant coffee. Avoid drinking tea in the evening.

Pour boiling water over tea leaves and let steep for 5 minutes. Drink tea the Chinese way with no milk or sugar. I feel tea made with a microwave does not taste as good as tea made with boiling water.

Tea is a time-honored beverage which has been consumed over thousands of years. Although coffee increases heart rate, insomnia, nervousness, headache, irritability, diarrhea and frequent urination, so far, no negative effects have been reported on tea.

Menopause women, who are taking synthetic or bio-identical estrogen to mask menopause symptoms, are susceptible to cancers. Green tea is a great antidote to the cancer-causing effect by synthetic or bio-identical estrogen.

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If you have started going through menopause you've probably noticed a few extra kilos around your midsection area. Do not worry, you're not alone, one of the major symptoms of menopause seem to be to obtain weight and a general change in the shape of your body. And while it may not be happy about this unfortunate incident, only to be taken into account that women in menopause weight gain, and is a very common. Studies have shown that approximately 90% of women begin to gain weight between the ages of 35 and 55. Never fear, you can not be responsible for this weight gain, studies have shown that most women in menopause weight gain due to a change in hormone levels, not overeating.

The average woman has been to gain about 10 to 15 pounds during the menopausal years. However, the most likely weight is gained gradually through their pre-menopausal years, you can expect your package around an extra pound a year. The weight gain that occurs with menopause is likely that around your abdominal area instead of the most common areas, such as the hips, thighs and buttocks. During menopause it is harder and harder for your body to redistribute the weight evenly.

What factors lead to women in menopause to weight gain?

The cause of weight gain menopause is the change in the maintenance of their body weight levels of the hormone.

1. Estrogen: Estrogen is a female hormone that makes a woman ovulates each month. However, during menopause, this hormone decreases dramatically because of their body to stop ovulation. This decrease in estrogen seems to be an important factor in weight gain of menopause. Because the ovaries produce less estrogen, your body begins to look elsewhere to get their desired estrogen. The problem here is that fat cells have been known to produce estrogen, so your body will start to convert their calories in fat to increase estrogen levels. This is obviously a major reason why women in menopause weight gain.

2. Progesterone: This is the hormone that regulates water weight we carry in our bodies. During menopause, this hormone has been shown to decrease rapidly, as does estrogen, which makes women hold more water as they grow, thus adding a bit of pounds to the stack menopause weight gain.

3. Testosterone: Testosterone is the hormone that facilitates the creation of lean muscle mass of the calories we consume. And, it's a proven fact that muscle burns more calories than fat, increasing metabolism. During menopause, hormone levels low testosterone, causing muscle loss, which unfortunately results in a lower metabolism and gain more weight.

4. Androgen: This is the hormone that is responsible for sending the newly formed fat in your midsection. In fact, the period for weight gain during menopause is commonly referred to as "middle-aged spread," due to rapid weight gain in the abdominal area. In fact, one of the number one sign of menopause is the increased production of testosterone resulting in increased belly fat.

The silver lining:

Although I know it can be difficult to accept that women in menopause weight gain is important to know the benefits of this event, apparently unfortunate. You have to know that this weight gain is natural and can actually be a good thing. This small amount of extra weight you can put really the lesson of the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and anxiety. Furthermore, weight gain during menopause is regulated by your body, and help prevent osteoporosis and other common diseases associated with aging.

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Hormones and Menopause

Waking up flushed and sweaty several times a night left Cathy feeling tired all day. But when she began to feel hot on and off during the day as well, she went to see Dr. Kent. He told Cathy she was having hot flashes—a sign that she was starting the menopause transition. Dr. Kent talked about several ways to control her hot flashes. One was to use the hormone estrogen for a short time. He talked about the benefits and risks of this choice. Cathy said she remembered hearing something on a TV talk show about using hormones around menopause. Were they helpful? Were they safe? She didn’t know.

A hormone is a chemical substance made by an organ like the thyroid gland or ovary. Hormones control different body functions. Examples of hormones are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormone.  In a woman’s body during the menopause transition, the months or years right before menopause (her final menstrual period), levels of several hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, go up and down irregularly. This happens as the ovaries work to keep up with the needs of the changing body.

Menopause is a normal part of aging. It is not a disease or disorder that has to be treated in all cases. Women may decide to use hormones like estrogen because of the benefits, but there are also side effects and risks to consider.

Dr. Kent told Cathy to call back for a prescription if she decided to try using hormones to relieve her symptoms. She read pamphlets from the doctor’s office and talked to her friends. Lily, who had surgery to remove her uterus and ovaries, has been taking the hormone estrogen since the operation. Sandy said she’s had a few hot flashes, but isn’t really uncomfortable enough to take hormones. Melissa is bothered by hot flashes and can’t sleep, but her doctor thinks she should not use estrogen because her younger sister has breast cancer. Each friend had a different story. Cathy wanted more information.

Do hormones relieve menopause symptoms?

Symptoms such as hot flashes might result from the changing hormone levels during the menopause transition. After a woman’s last menstrual period, when her ovaries make much less estrogen and progesterone, some symptoms of menopause might disappear, but others may continue.

To help relieve these symptoms, some women use hormones. This is called menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). This approach used to be called hormone replacement therapy or HRT. MHT is a more current, umbrella term that describes several different hormone combinations available in a variety of forms and doses.

How would I use MHT?

Estrogen is a hormone used to relieve the symptoms of menopause. Estrogen alone (E) may be used by a woman whose uterus has been removed.  But a woman who still has a uterus must add progesterone or a progestin (synthetic progesterone) along with the estrogen (E+P).  This combination lowers the chance of an unwanted thickening of the lining of the uterus and reduces the risk of cancer of the uterus, an uncommon, but possible result of using estrogen alone.

Cathy’s friend Stephanie takes a pill containing estrogen and progestin, but Cathy has trouble swallowing pills. If MHT is only available as a pill, that is something she’d consider when making her decision.

Estrogen comes in many forms. Cathy could use a skin patch, vaginal tablet, or cream; take a pill; or get an implant, shot, or vaginal ring insert. She could even apply a gel or spray. There are also different types of estrogen (such as estradiol and conjugated estrogens). Estradiol is the most important type of estrogen in a woman’s body before menopause.  Other hormones, progesterone or progestin, can be taken as a pill, sometimes in the same pill as the estrogen, as well as a patch (combined with estrogen), shot, IUD (intrauterine device), gel, or vaginal suppository.

The form of MHT your doctor suggests may depend on your symptoms. For example, an estrogen patch (also called transdermal estrogen) or pill (oral estrogen) can relieve hot flashes, night sweats (hot flashes that bother you at night), and vaginal dryness. Other forms—vaginal creams, tablets, or rings—are used mostly for vaginal dryness alone. The vaginal ring insert might also help some urinary tract symptoms.

The dose can also vary, as can the timing of those doses. Some doctors suggest that estrogen be used every day, but that the progesterone or progestin be used cyclically—for 10 to 14 straight days every four weeks. A cyclic schedule is thought to mimic how the body makes estrogen and progesterone before menopause. This approach can cause some spotting or bleeding, like a light period, which might get lighter or go away in time. Alternatively, some women take estrogen and progesterone or progestin continuously—every day of the month.

Is there a downside to taking hormones?

A lot of the information Cathy read said that taking estrogen is the most effective way to relieve hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Estrogen also helps keep bones strong. Cathy thought that those seemed like good reasons to use MHT. But she wondered, is there a downside?

Research has found that, for some women, there are serious risks, including an increased chance of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer, when using MHT. There may also be an increased risk of dementia in women when they start MHT after age 65. These concerns are why every woman needs to think a lot before deciding to use menopausal hormone therapy.

Also, some women develop noticeable side effects from using hormones:

• breast tenderness
• spotting or a return of monthly periods
• cramping
• bloating

By changing the type or amount of the hormones, the way they are taken, or the timing of the doses, your doctor may be able to help control these side effects. Or, over time, they may go away on their own.

What more should I know about the benefits and risks of hormones?

Cathy knows there have been news stories about menopausal hormone therapy research findings. But, several years ago, when she first heard about the risks of using estrogen, she didn’t really pay attention. Now she wants to know more about the risks.

Over the years, research findings have led to a variety of positive, negative, and sometimes conflicting reports about menopausal hormone therapy. Some of these findings came from randomized clinical trials, the most convincing type of research. Historically, clinical trials often used one type of estrogen called conjugated estrogens.  Several other types of estrogen, as well as progesterone and progestins, have also been tested in small trials to see if they have an effect on heart disease, breast cancer, or dementia.

Let’s look more closely at what we have learned from these small studies.

Hot flashes and night sweats—Estrogen will relieve most women’s hot flashes and night sweats. If you stop using estrogen, you may again start having hot flashes. Lifestyle changes and certain prescription medicines also might help some women with hot flashes. For most women, hot flashes and night sweats go away in time.

Vaginal dryness—Estrogen improves vaginal dryness, probably for as long as you continue to use it. If vaginal dryness is your only symptom, your doctor might prescribe a vaginal estrogen. A water-based lubricant, but not petroleum jelly, may also relieve vaginal discomfort.

Cholesterol levels—Estrogen improves cholesterol levels, lowering LDLs (the “bad” kind of cholesterol) and raising HDLs (the “good” kind of cholesterol). The pill form of estrogen can cause the level of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) to go up. The estrogen patch does not seem to have this effect, but it also does not improve cholesterol to the same degree as the pill form. But, improving cholesterol levels is not a reason to take estrogen. Other medicines and lifestyle changes will improve cholesterol levels more effectively.

What is the Women’s Health Initiative? What have we learned from it?

Before menopause, women generally have a lower risk of heart disease than men. This led experts to wonder whether giving women estrogen after menopause might help prevent heart disease. In 1992, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s premier medical research agency, began the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) to explore ways postmenopausal women might prevent heart disease, as well as osteoporosis and cancer. One part of the WHI, the Hormone Trial, looked at oral conjugated estrogens used alone (E) or with a particular progestin (E+P) to see if, in postmenopausal women, estrogen could prevent heart disease without increasing the chance of breast cancer.

In July 2002, the E+P part of the WHI Hormone Trial was stopped early because it became clear to the researchers that the overall risk of taking E+P outweighed the benefits:

Benefits

• Fewer fractures
• Less chance of colon and rectum cancer

Risks

• More strokes
• More serious blood clots
• More heart attacks
• More breast cancers

In April 2004, the rest of the Hormone Trial, the E alone group, was also halted because using estrogen alone did not have a positive effect on heart disease overall and increased the risk of stroke.

During the first 3 years after stopping the E+P used in the WHI, women were no longer at greater risk of heart disease, stroke, or serious blood clots than women who had not used MHT. On the other hand, they also no longer had greater protection from fractures. The women still had an increased risk of breast cancer, but their risk was smaller than it was while they were using hormones.

It appears from the WHI that women over age 60 should not begin using MHT to protect their health—it will not prevent heart disease or dementia when started several years after menopause. In fact, older women in the study using MHT were at increased risk of certain diseases. On the other hand, women who were less than age 60 did not appear to be at increased risk of heart disease, and the overall risks and benefits appeared to be balanced.

It is important to remember that the WHI findings are based on the specific oral form (rather than patch, gel, etc), dose, and type of estrogen and progestin studied in the WHI. Which hormones and dose you use and the way you take them might change these benefits and risks. We don’t know how the WHI findings apply to these other types, forms, and doses of estrogen and progesterone or progestin.

What are some other options?

Cathy is like a lot of women bothered by symptoms of menopause. After learning about some research results, she is concerned about using menopausal hormone therapy for relief of her symptoms. But it’s been several years since some study findings raised concerns, and now Cathy is wondering whether there is anything new.

Women now have more options than when the WHI study was first planned. More types of estrogens are available, and some of them come in a variety of forms. For example, synthetic estradiol, now available in several forms (pill, patch, cream, gel, etc.), is chemically identical to the estrogen most active in women’s bodies before menopause. If it is not taken by mouth, but rather applied to the skin or taken as a shot, estradiol appears to work the same way as estradiol made in the body. Investigators are now studying a low-dose estradiol patch (transdermal estradiol) compared to a low-dose conjugated estrogens pill to see whether one or both slow hardening of the arteries in women around the age of menopause and whether the estradiol patch is as effective and, perhaps, safer than the conjugated estrogens pill. These alternatives are creating more choices for women seeking relief from their menopausal symptoms, as well as a variety of new opportunities for research.

Besides a pill, some estrogens come in different and sometimes new forms—skin patch, gel, emulsion, spray, and vaginal ring, cream, and tablet. These forms work in the body somewhat differently than a pill by entering your body directly through the skin or walls of the vagina. Oral estrogen (a pill) is chemically changed in the liver.  Some studies suggest that if estrogen enters through the skin and bypasses the liver, the risk of serious blood clots or stroke might be lower. Others suggest a lower risk of gallbladder disease. This may also allow a change in dosage—further testing may show that the same benefits might come from lower doses than are needed with a pill.

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