Am I perimenopausal? What are the early signals of menopause?

Most women experience perimenopausal symptoms in their 30s and 40s.  The most common symptoms such as fluctuating menstrual cycles can mean that your reproductive system is slowing down.  Other symptoms include changes in the amount of menstrual flow, longer or shorter times in between periods, and irregular flow. 

Physical symptoms in other parts of your body may include lumpy or tender breasts, water retention and bloating, sleep difficulties, concentration problems, fuzzy or unclear thinking, anxiety, depression, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, or unexplained weight gain.  Menopause and perimenopause are different for all women.  Some women may have several of the above symptoms while others may have none (besides not having their period).  In addition, symptoms may last for weeks, months, or years.  Since symptoms may appear in a woman as early as her 30s and the average age of menopause is 51, symptoms of perimenopause can last a long time.


Technorati Tags: menopause, perimenopause, women's health, hormones, symptoms

Natural menopause treatment - soy estrogens

Soy contains plant estrogens known as phytoestrogens. These estrogens mimic estrogen made by our own bodies and they are weaker than human estrogen. The way phytoestrogens work in our bodies is by landing on our cells in the same places as estrogen. Thus when our bodies don't have enough estrogen, phytoestrogens fill the gap and make up for the lack. However, when our bodies are producing enough or too much estrogen, phytoestrogens compete with our own estrogen for these landing sites on our cells. Because phytoestrogens are weaker, this may explain how soy phytoestrogens reduce the risks of estrogen induced cancers like breast cancer. At the same time, because phytoestrogens mimic our own natural estrogen, they also provide the same benefits such as protecting you against osteoporosis and providing relief from menopausal symptoms.

There are several ways of ingesting soy isoflavones. There are pill supplements, soy protein powders, and more natural forms of soy such as soymilk (which is also known as soya milk), tofu, tempeh, and soy dairy products. The recommended daily amount of soy isoflavones of 35 to 120 mg may reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms. This equates to about 20 to 60 grams of soy protein each day.


Technorati Tags: menopause, soy, estrogen, isoflavones, natural, cure, treatment, remedy, symptom

Symptom of Menopause - Loss of Bladder Control

Here's one symptom of menopause that many people don't think of.  We usually associate loss of bladder control with aging, however it is also common (and temporary) during the beginning of menopause.  What happens is that like all other menopause symptoms, loss of bladder control is associated with a drop in estrogen.  Estrogen is a key part of keeping pelvic muscles healthy and strong.  When estrogen levels drop, the pelvic muscles may loose tone and strength, leading to leakage.

Avoid leakage by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles with kegel exercises.  Try to avoid eating or drinking before bedtime to eliminate the strain on weakened muscles.  Do not hold in your urine, use the bathroom at regular intervals.  Also you'll want to combat this at the hormone level too, treatments such as HRT and diets high in soy may  help eliminate the loss of bladder control.


Technorati Tags: menopause, bladder control, women's health, estrogen

Male Menopause?

Women aren't the only ones going through this change in life.  Hot falshes, mood swings, hairloss, and migraines are not just symptoms that affect women.  Currenty, twenty-six million men in the U.S. between the ages of 40 to 55 are going through male menopause.

But what is male menopause?  Like female menopause, which is caused by a lowering of the female hormone estrogen, male menopause is caused by a lowering of the male hormone testosterone.  Both of these are caused by aging.

Symptoms of menopause for men are a bit different though.  Men may experience muscle loss, nervousness, fatigue, weight gain, loss of sex drive, and osteoporosis.  Testosterone replacement treatment is available, however it may increase the risk of prostate cancer, just as HRT may increase the risk of breast cancer in women.


Technorati Tags: male menopause, testosterone, hormone replacement therapy, symptoms

Menopause treatment - hormone replacement therapy, a double edged sword?

"CLEVELAND -- Hormone replacement therapy was once hailed as the end to the misery of menopause, but in recent years, many doctors have been turning away from the treatment as more and more reports of the negative side effects surface. Is HRT really as bad as some say it is... or is it even worse?

Hot flashes. Suffering sex lives. Menopause can be miserable! Hormone replacement therapy can help, but conflicting headlines have left some confused. HRT has been linked to a 110 percent increase in breast cancer risk for smokers, overall a 41 percent increase in stroke risk, and a 22 percent increase in cardiovascular disease."

Read more...

Technorati Tags: menopause, hormone replacement therapy, cures, treatments

Symptom of Menopause - Migraine Headaches

Hormonal changes and stress could trigger migraine headaches. Several treatment options are available to tackle this problem from both fronts.

Treatments: Try to cut down on or relieve stress by writing in a journal about the events that trigger your headaches. Transform stress and anger through meditation or yoga on a regular basis. Try to pinpoint any potential trigger foods such as nuts, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars, and dairy.

Balance your hormone levels with progesterone creams and diets high in soy. You may also want to consider hormone replacement therapy. You may also want to avoid other environmental factors such as bright lights, loud noises, lack of sleep, and strenuous activity which tend to trigger migraines.

Technorati Tags: migraine, headaches, menopause, stress, symptoms, treatments, cures

Symptom of Menopause - Thinning hair on head, increase in facial hair

One of the most common symptoms in menopausal ane even some perimenopausal women is an increase in facial hair growth and later on, thinning of the hair on their scalp. Both of these are caused by the decrease in estrogen levels that occur and are only cosmetic inconveniences.


Treatments: There are currently no treatments, however, preventative medications like Women's Rogaine can be used to keep the hair that you do have. There are also many methods of removing unwanted facial hair, ranging from at home solutions like shaving, tweezing, waxing, depilatory creams, sugaring, threading, and epilation. Those who are seeking a more permanent solution may want to look into electrolysis or laser hair removal. Vaniqa is a cream approved by the FDA in the last year which slows down the growth of facial hair.

Technorati Tags: facial hair, hairloss, hirsutism

Black cohosh safety warning

In the United Kingdom, recent studies have revealed that blach cohosh, a popular herbal remedy for menopause symptoms, may cause liver damage.  Black cohosh is also known as Cimicfuga racemosa, black snake root, rattle snack root, and squaw root.  While the possibility of adverse reactions to black cohosh is rare, warnings will soon appear on all products containing blach cohosh.

Read more about this at Injury Watch


Technorati Tags: black cohosh, menopause, herbal, safety, cures, treatment, remedy

Symptom of Menopause - Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the fracturing of bones with a decrease in bone density. Estrogen is vital in protecting women's bones. When menopause occurs, estrogen levels drop and the long term result is decrease in bone density.

Treatments: There are currently no treatments for osteoporosis, however preventative measures can be taken even before menopause or perimenopause begins. Take care to get plenty of necessary nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and sillica. Exercise regularly, paying special attention to strength training exercises, and quit harmful lifestyle habits such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. If you are already menopausal, it's still not too late. There are medications are available to slow down bone loss and increase strength. Also, women who are on replacement hormone therapy will derive protection from the estrogen they're receiving.

Technorati Tags: menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, bone density

Symptom of Menopause - Mood Changes

Mood Changes

There really isn't any conclusive evidnce that menopause causes mood swings in women. However, there has been a link between recurrence of depression during menopause in women who have previously had depression. Also, mood changes could actually be the result of one of the many other symptoms of menopause. For example, lack of sleep caused by night sweats.

Treatment: While hormone treatment does improve symptoms of irritability in many women, it alone is not effective in treating someone who may be suffering from depression. As such, women who are affected by mood changes and are menopausal should see their doctors to rule out depression and other possible illnesses.

tags: menopause, symptoms, women's health, moodswings , depression, hormones

Symptom of Menopause - Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common and earliest occurring symptoms of perimenopause, occuring in about 40% of perimenopausal women in their forties. Symptoms of a hot flash include flushing, perspiration, and a feeling of warmth all over the body. Another symptom of menopause that may occur with hot flashes is night sweats. Researchers speculate that hot flashes occur in women who start sweating at a lower ambient temperature. Most women experience hot flashes for 5 years or less. Unfortunately, for a certain percentage of women, their hot flashes last for as long as 10 years.

Prescription Treatments: For women who are still mensturating, oral contraceptives are commonly prescribed because contraceptives are also effetive at treating other menopausal symptoms. Women who are not menstruating should ask their doctors about either oral or transdermal forms of estrogen therapies. Both forms of therapies may contain just estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone. General treatments are effective in reducing 80% to 90% of hot flashes and night sweats.

Alternative Treatments: Soy is rich in phytoestrogens (plant based mimics of estrogen) and wild yam creams also contain progesterone. Many have found that a combination of a diet high in soy and the use of wild yam cream are effective in reducing hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. Dong quai, black cohosh, and vitamin E have been cited by some to be effective in reducing hot flashes. Please consult with your doctor before trying any alternative treatments.

tags: menopause, symptoms, women's health, estrogen, alternative medicine, hot flashes, night sweats

Symptom of Menopause - Irregular Periods

Irregular periods and abnormal bleeding.

A very common symptom of menopause is irregular vaginal bleeding. This may manifest as frequent or skipped periods or an increase or decrease in the amount of bleeding. There is no pattern to the changes that occur, but women may want to look at what changes occurred when their mother went through perimenopause. It is also common to get a period after months of skipped periods. It is important that during this time women consult their doctors to confirm that these changes are indeed due to menopause and not anything more serious.

Treatment: Please consult your doctor to rule out any other potential causes of abnormal bleeding. Often estrogen treatment or oral contraceptives are given to women to regulate menstrual periods.

tags: menopause, symptoms, women's health, estrogen, contraceptive

Signs and Symptoms of Menopause

Doctors generally aggree that a woman has reached menopause when ther is no underlying medical condition that would cause her to cease menstruation and she has not had a period for more than 12 consecutive months. Most women reach menopause at age 50, however many women cease menstruating in their 30s or 60s.

Menopause occurs when the ovaries cease to function. The ovaries are a pair of glands in women which release eggs and produce hormones. The ovaries produce hormones which control the development of the female body and regulate the menstrual cycle. Estrogen also has a role in regulating pregnancy and protecting bone health.

The gradual transition into menopause is known as perimenopause. This period is defined by a decline in the amount of estrogen produced by the ovaries. Perimenopause may occur in some women as early as their 30s. Signs of perimenopause manifest themselves as a decline in fertility and irregular periods. The duration of perimenopause vary from woman to woman, but the most common symptoms are hot flashes, declined fertility, irregular periods, insomnia, abdominal weight gain, vaginal dryness, and facial hair growth.

Perimenopausal Symptoms

• Hot flashes


• Declining fertility


• Memory and concentration problems


• Decreased sexual response


• Heart palpitations


• Insomnia


• Abdominal weight gain


• Irregular periods


• Vaginal dryness


• Irritability


• Hairloss


• Dry skin

Hormone levels fluctuate greatly from day to day in an individual woman, so hormone tests are not reliable for identifying menopause. There is also no blood test which can diagnose menopause. Because there is no sure fire way to determine whether a woman has entered perimenopause or menopause, a good rule of thumb for women is that menopause occurs at roughly the same age as it did for their mothers.

After menstruation has stopped, this period in a woman's life is called postmenopause. Postmenopause lasts for the rest of a woman's life and is a crucial time period in which women must take care of themselves to prevent diseases caused by decreased estrogen levels. Some of these diseases include osteoperosis, cancer, and heart disease.

tags: menopause, symptoms, women's health, estrogen