Are you a woman in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s and experiencing any of the following symptoms?
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Mood fluctuations
- Weight gain
- Joint pains
- Sleep disturbances
- Hair thinning
- Brain fog
If so, then welcome to the “M” club! This is the curse normal-transition-of-life stage known as menopause. By definition, you are postmenopausal after you have experienced 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle, but it is very common to experience a number of bothersome – if not downright distressing – symptoms in the years leading up to, and following, the transition into menopause.
Over my years of practice, I have encountered a handful of women who seem to inexplicably transition completely smoothly through menopause, but these women are few and far between. More commonly, these are the concerns I hear:
“The night sweats are unrelenting – it’s like someone else has taken over my body”
“I haven’t eaten a single calorie more and I haven’t changed my exercise routine at all, but I’m gaining weight in my mid-section”
“I used to be a great sleeper, but now I can’t sleep through the night, and I’m exhausted”
“Everyone irritates me”
Do you have to resign yourself to suffering through this life stage, or is there help available to manage some of these unwanted symptoms?
The good news is that there truly are some helpful solutions available!
When I trained in medical school, the common teaching was the hormone replacement treatment (HRT) for menopause was risky and generally not recommend – in fact, I remember my professors actually encouraging us to taper our patients off HRT. The long-term evidence now, however, supports many benefits of HRT for women experiencing distressing symptoms of menopause. According to the most recent 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society” (NAMS), for most women, hormone therapy helps to control moderate to severe menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, when initiated within 10 years of onset of menopause or when a women is still under age 60 years.
Over the years of my clinical practice, it has been quite interesting to see how the tide has shifted with regards to the benefits of HRT in menopausal women (not to mention the explosion of many social media influencers – both medical and non-medical ones – who have brought menopause to the forefront of both medical and societal conversations). It is important to focus on understanding its symptoms, treatment options, and impact on women’s lives. And now with the mounting evidence that the HRT can indeed be beneficial, we have more treatment options readily and safely available.
HRT can be used safely in many women, but it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone, and there are also certain women for whom HRT would not be advisable. Thankfully, even if you aren’t a good candidate to start HRT, there are other treatment options available to manage your individual symptoms of menopause.
This change-in-life transition can come with many unexpected physical, mental, and emotional changes, but it needn’t be a phase of life you need to experience or suffer through alone. Here at Wayland Personal Physicians, you can schedule an appointment to discuss your options in more detail with your physician, and together, we can come up with a treatment plan that is individualized to meet your needs.