Perimenopause / Menopause

Onset

Menopause is a natural process that all women experience due to a decrease in reproductive hormones. As women get older, they produce less eggs, which means there are lower levels of estrogen circulating in the body. Around age 50, women usually stop producing eggs altogether. This causes a sudden absence of estrogen in the body, leading to a stopping of your menstrual cycles and a variety of undesired symptoms. Menopause is defined by one full year of no menstruation with the average age being 51 years old.

Symptoms

It's not "all in your head", it's physiology!

During perimenopause, your body is going through enormous changes. The menopause transition can lead to a variety of undesirable symptoms such as:

Anxiety and depression (feeling stressed or overwhelmed, hopelessness, mood swings)
Brain fog (difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, poor word retrieval)
Headaches/migraines
Fatigue
Heart palpitations (racing or fluttering heartbeat)
Hot flashes and night sweats
Incontinence (loss of bladder control, leaking of urine with coughing, laughing or sneezing)
Irritability
Joint pain (soreness, stiffness and joint swelling)
Low libido (decreased sex drive)
Menstrual changes (lighter or heavier menstrual flow, altered cycle length, skipped periods)
Painful sex (vaginal/vulvar burning, tightness, dryness)
Weight gain (increased weight, especially around the abdomen and thighs)
Skin/hair changes (dry itchy skin, thinning hair)
Sleep troubles (difficulty falling or staying asleep, tossing and turning at nights)
Urinary tract issues (UTIs, burning, frequency, odor)

Management

Help is on the way!

With the expertise of a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP), we will review your personal health goals to optimize your health and vitality through this transition. At Greentree Women's Health, we will offer options for your care to include both menopause hormone therapy (MHT) and evidence-based complimentary and alternative medicines.