Of all the symptoms associated with menopause, hot flashes have to be considered among the most ill-desired symptom of all. While they are an absolute annoyance, it is the hormonal imbalance within that causes them to occur. Since there are no definitive conclusions as to why hot flashes occur, let’s try to determine how to deal with hot flashes.

According to a recent report on menopause, it was determined that “lifestyle and psychological factors can increase the number and severity of hot flashes that a woman experiences. In fact, women who tested at a high level of anxiety had nearly five times the number of hot flashes as those who tested low. Women who smoked experienced twice the amount. Being overweight led to an increase in annoying hot flashes, as well.”

Hot flashes sometimes start with perimenopause, or they may not start until after the last menstrual period has occurred. Usually, they last three to five years and are usually worse during the year following the last menstrual period. However, it has been noted that for some women, hot flashes can last indefinitely.  Read more...

One of the conditions a woman must be concerned about is osteoporosis. This may usually occur right after menopause. However, there are steps you can take to alleviate it.

Osteoporosis is simply bone loss. It is inherent in aging for both men and women, although women are more susceptible to it. Because a woman’s bone density is less than that of a man, this allows more time for the bone to age. The loss of bone mass begins approximately at age 40. After menopause, there is an acceleration of five to seven years at which point it returns to its normal age-related rate.

The absence of estrogen has less to do with bone loss than aging. In fact, smoking, medications, and being underweight have a greater effect on bone loss. That’s why exercise is so important. It increases bone mass. While osteoporosis can lead to loss of height and tiny fractures, woman are also vulnerable to fractures of the hip. Therefore, it is important to take precautionary measures such as proper diet, exercise and vitamins to prevent the loss of bone mass. Further, your doctor may advise you to take a bone density test to determine just how much bone loss has occurred.  Read more...

According to Geoffrey Redmond, M.D., a majority of the 42 million American women between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five suffer from vulnerability to their own hormones. Appearance, emotions — and even sex drive — may be affected.

Symptoms include thinning hair, persistent acne, mood swings, low energy, loss of pleasure in sex, weight gain, irregular periods, and pain. While the media has emphasized the problems of menopause, Dr. Redmond explains that all t… More >>

The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman : Relief at last for PMS, mood swings, fatigue, hair loss, adult acne, unwanted hair, female pain, migraine, weight gain, … all the problems of perimenopause

Basically the diagnosis of PMS is more widely accepted by the medical profession and the general public as a whole but the diagnosis is a little in the gray area as it is difficult to really diagnose with certainty. Women experience different symptoms and those symptoms can change from month to month.

The intensity of the symptoms can also change from month to month even if the symptoms themselves stay the same. PMS tends to decrease in women experiencing perimenopause even without treatment and symptoms of PMS totally disappear when the woman reaches menopause.

There is a wide range of statistics regarding the prevalence of PMS anything from statistics saying that 80% of menstruating women have at least one symptom of PMS each month there are also recorded ranges of as low as 3% to 30%.

This variance is largely due to interpretation of PMS from a very loose definition of any discomfort a menstruating woman may experience to symptoms that only occur in the luteal phase of menstruation (from ovulation to menses).  Read more...

by Michelle Prince

A holistic approach to perimenopause and menopause considers the whole woman ~ mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The symptoms and signs of your changing hormones can begin in your 30’s, long before you might associate them with “the change”.

Identifying your symptoms as normal is comforting ~ You’re not alone and you’re not going crazy! You’ll feel more empowered and motivated to “Embrace Positive Change!” after you identify your symptoms and signs.

Mental Symptoms

* Thoughts of Apprehension, Dread and Doom
* Inability to Cope With Stress
* Headaches and/or Migraines
* Anxiety and/or Panic Attacks
* Difficulty Concentrating
* Memory Lapses
* Dizziness and Lightheadedness

Emotional Symptoms

* Anger and/or Rage
* Nostalgia and Melancholy
* Mood Swings
* Decreased Sexual Desire
* Depression
* Body Image Issues
* Diminished Self-Esteem

Physical Symptoms  Read more...

In the beginning we await the curse; the onset of womanhood. In our later years, we experience the change. Does it necessarily follow this is the end of womanhood? No, but the two are synonymous. Perimenopause and menopause may be the end of the second cycle of life; but it is also the beginning of another. What is perimenopause and menopause?

Perimenopause is the time when hormonal changes occur in your body. Beginning in your late 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s, a disruption in your menstrual cycle may occur many times before menopause. If you are currently experiencing symptoms such as irregular periods,

heavy bleeding, hot flashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dry eyes, hair loss, and weight gain, or extreme emotional distress, you can be assured that these are all common signs of perimenopause. The hormonal changes which occur during perimenopause are responsible for many of these symptoms.  For some, most of the symptoms only last for a few months.  Read more...

What is menopause?

Menopause is the time at “mid-life” when a woman has her last period. It happens when the ovaries stop releasing eggs – usually a gradual process. Sometimes it happens all at once.

Perimenopause is the period of gradual changes that lead into menopause. It affects a woman’s hormones, body, and feelings. It can be a stop-start process that may take months or years.

“Climacteric”is another word for the time when a woman passes from the reproductive to the non-reproductive years of her life.

The ovaries’ production of estrogen slows down during perimenopause. Hormone levels fluctuate, causing changes just as they did during adolescence.

The changes leading to menopause may seem much more intense than those during puberty. The intensity may be affected by a woman’s feelings about aging, including her reactions to social judgments about aging.

Induced menopause occurs if the ovaries are removed or damaged as in hysterectomy or chemotherapy. In this case, menopause begins immediately, with no perimenopause. The time after menopause is called postmenopause.  Read more...

If you are at the beginning stages of perimenopause or are coming to the end of full menopause; there is something you should know.  Post-menopause is hardly discussed.

Therefore, what’s the good news about post-menopause? Read on.

There seems to be a double-standard for men and women. When men go through a mid-life crisis; they sometimes seek out younger women or buy expensive toys. However, when a woman goes through menopause, it is highlighted by the symptoms she experiences. There is a definite disconnect between how quickly one reaches their destination Vs the journey that is taken to arrive there.

While woman are more open than ever before about their experiences, it seems a far cry from years ago when our moms and grandmothers never even broached the subject of periods, let alone menopause. Well the good news is that there is good news. No more heavy bleeding and hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, night sweats; Kotex pads, Tampax, or pregnancy issues.  Read more...

Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when menstruation ceases. A woman’s body is also no longer able to bear children. This normal, biological process occurs between a woman’s late 40s to 50s, with the age of 51 years old being the average. Menopause is not official until a woman no longer menstruates for a time period of one year continuously.

A number of bodily signs and symptoms appear prior to this and can last years until menopause is an actual diagnosis. The signs and symptoms leading up to this point is defined as perimenopause. During the perimenopausal stage your hormones are inconsistent and periods will be irregular. Even though your periods are irregular during this time, it is still possible to become pregnant.

Many women ask the question, “Why am I gaining weight during menopause?” This is a very common complaint and you are not alone or unique. It has to do with metabolism. As we age so does our metabolism. Women experience a decline in their metabolism starting in her mid 30s.  Read more...

While it is estimated that some women can experience the onset of perimenopause and menopause beginning in their 30’s, early menopause can cause great anxiety. What are the effects of early menopause?

While most people associate menopause with older women, it can occur in younger women as well. Any women who is going through the full menopause cycle before the age of 40, is considered to be experiencing premature menopause. Imagine the emotional effect this can have on a young woman. In addition to the associated symptoms of menopause, experiencing this premature cycle can add another level of emotion which could be just as devastating.

Some of the causes of premature menopause are: premature ovarian failure, in which your body’s immune system attacks itself causing your ovaries to stop functioning.  Read more...