Menopause

What is menopause?

Menopause is the natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycles. Typically occurring in a woman's late 40s to early 50s, menopause signifies the end of a woman's reproductive years and fertility.

Some key things to understand about menopause:

• It is diagnosed after a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a period. This loss of periods is due to lower levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone.


• The transition into menopause, often called perimenopause, usually starts several years earlier. Some early signs can include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, trouble sleeping, and mood changes.


• After menopause is reached, symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes tend to decrease and go away over time. However, other physical changes are long-term like loss of bone density.

Why does menopause occur?

Menopause occurs due to the ovaries no longer producing adequate amounts of estrogen and progesterone. This stems from the loss of ovarian follicles, which are necessary to form and release mature eggs suitable for fertilization. When the ovaries stop releasing eggs that can be fertilized, a woman's fertility comes to an end.

Managing menopause symptoms

While some unpleasant symptoms may accompany menopause, there are many options to help manage things like hot flashes, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness, and emotional changes. These can include:

• Hormone therapy - Options like low-dose birth control pills, skin patches, gels and more can supplement estrogen and progesterone. This often helps stabilize hormones and alleviate symptoms.


• Vaginal moisturizers - Help relieve vaginal dryness and discomfort.


• Regular exercise and healthy diet - This supports overall health and can reduce some symptoms.

I highly recommend the knowledgeable and compassionate professionals at Hormone Revive. Their hormone therapy programs are tailored to each woman's unique needs, whether that's navigating early perimenopause or later stage menopause. They also provide counseling, nutritional advice, supplements, bioidentical hormones and more to help women transition smoothly. Let their experienced staff guide you to better comfort, health and vitality during this change.