Condition Spotlight
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her period stops. It usually occurs naturally, most often after age 45. Menopause happens because the woman’s ovaries stop producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Menopause is a natural part of aging for women, but there’s no predictable pattern or timeline for the symptoms, doctors say. While some symptoms are well known, others can catch a woman by surprise and Read More
Eating a healthy diet and staying active are key to supporting your immune system. It is especially important to add plenty of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. As you look to guide your Read More
Weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, hot flashes, brain fog, and so on are just a few symptoms women in perimenopause experience as they transition from having regular menstrual cycles to having none. Too often, these Read More
Your partner is still keen, but during menopause, sex may be the last thing on your mind. You are not alone. Many women find that their desire for sex wanes as they approach menopause. Studies Read More
If you’re over 40 and experiencing cognitive issues, you might be wondering, “Does menopause cause forgetfulness?” Some surprising statistics give us deeper insight: 31% of premenopausal women experience forgetfulness; that number jumps to 44% in Read More
A new study, published in the journal Menopause, found a plant-based diet rich in soy reduces moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 84%, from nearly five per day to fewer than one per day. During the 12-week study, Read More
Most women who come and see me experience many menopause symptoms at once like hot flashes, low libido, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, sudden weight gain, and brain fog. They ask their doctors to run Read More
Women often experience panic attacks and even heart palpitations during menopause, even if they’ve never really been bothered by them before. These symptoms may come on suddenly, sometimes just prior to a hot flash, and Read More
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Naomi Rance was at work when she experienced her first hot flash. Rance, a physician and researcher at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Tucson, took note. As it Read More
Most women experience menopause in their 40s and 50s. During this period, a woman goes through various symptoms, including vaginal dryness, insomnia, night sweats, anxiety, nausea, and irritability, among others. The low level of estrogen Read More
A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for one year. Changes and symptoms can start several years earlier. They include
- A change in periods – shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, with more or less time in between
- Hot flashes and/or night sweats
- Trouble sleeping
- Vaginal dryness
- Mood swings
- Trouble focusing
- Less hair on head, more on face
Some symptoms require treatment. Talk to your doctor about how to best manage menopause. Make sure the doctor knows your medical history and your family medical history. This includes whether you are at risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, or breast cancer.
A common symptom of menopause is the appearance of hot flashes (sometimes called a hot flush). Hot flashes occur because of changing estrogen levels in a woman’s body.1 A hot flash consists of a sudden feeling of heat and may include flushing of the face and neck, red blotches on the chest and arms, and sweating followed by shivering. A hot flash can last 30 seconds to 10 minutes.
During menopause, many women experience vaginal dryness, which can make sexual intercourse uncomfortable and can lead to vaginal or urinary tract infections. In addition, the bladder muscles may weaken, which could lead to urine leakage when sneezing, coughing, laughing, or running. This condition is called urinary incontinence (pronounced in-KON-tn-uhns).
