What No One Told You About Menopause

When you consider that about 1.3 million women in the United States go into menopause each year, you’d think we’d hear more about it. But, as with many issues related to women’s reproductive systems, information is scant, often wrong, and the facts aren’t broadly shared.

So if you don’t know much about menopause, you’re not alone. Misconceptions about menopause abound, including what to do about its sometimes troubling symptoms and complications. 

At Modern Wellness Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada, our team of providers and women’s care experts wants you to enjoy every phase of your life, including the significant portion that occurs after menopause. If you’ve reached menopause, or are heading there, here a few important facts to know about your new stage of life.

Menopause happens gradually

By the time most women are about 51 years old, they’ve gone through menopause. Menopause is defined as starting 12 months after your last menstrual period. Once you reach the menopause milestone, you’re officially postmenopausal, and will be for the rest of your life.

However, menopause doesn’t happen all at once. Your hormones start to downshift over the years preceding menopause. During this time, known as perimenopause, you may actually start to experience the symptoms that are generally associated with menopause. That doesn’t mean you’re actually in menopause, however. 

Perimenopause and menopause can cause symptoms

If there’s one characteristic of menopause that seems to be pretty widely known, it’s the symptom commonly referred to as “hot flashes.” As your estrogen levels drop, every system in your body is affected, including your veins and arteries, and your body’s temperature-control system.

Reduced estrogen causes your glands to release more of the hormones that turn up the heat. Hot flashes last for minutes at a time. They can happen during the day, or when you’re trying to sleep. Hot flashes at night are called night sweats.

But hot flashes and night sweats are just the tip of the iceberg that makes up menopause symptoms. As you head into menopause, your lack of estrogen, progesterone, and other key hormones may lead to a whole cluster of unpleasant effects, such as:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Brain fog and memory problems
• Depression and anxiety
• Irritability and anger
• Dry, thin skin
• Thinning, dry hair
• Dry vagina
• Shrinking labia
• Low libido
• Difficulty climaxing
• Dizziness
• Urinary incontinence
• Increased facial hair
• Fat gain
• Muscle loss

Even though menopause is a natural stage of life, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with low levels of estrogen that impair your mood and comfort. We may recommend bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) that replaces important hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and DHEA.

Menopause leads to complications, too

Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid the most common symptoms of menopause, your reduced hormones affect your overall health, too. For instance, estrogen is central to bone health. Estrogen helps your bones produce new bone cells to replace those that are resorbed due to age and cell death. That’s why postmenopausal women often suffer from osteoporosis.

Without estrogen and progesterone, you have an increased risk for complications such as:

• Osteoporosis (fragile bones)
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• High cholesterol
• Migraines
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Dementia
• Lead poisoning
• Cavities and oral health problems

To help your body replenish old bone cells, keep your blood vessels flexible, and your tissues and organs (including your brain) nourished and moisturized, we may recommend BHRT. BHRT makes you feel youthful and vibrant again, while reducing your risk for serious diseases, including heart attack, stroke, and some forms of cancer. 

Restore your hormones with BHRT today to preserve your health and avoid the symptoms of menopause. Contact our office by phone at 702-463-9159 or use our online booking form.