Menopause is a natural transition in a woman's life when her period stops permanently and she can no longer get pregnant naturally. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause. During this transition time, hormone levels become erratic and start to decline, causing various symptoms.
The average age for menopause is 51, but it can happen earlier or later. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman has no menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. The time leading up to menopause (perimenopause) and the first year after menopause require adjustment to the new balance of hormones in a woman’s body.
The onset of menopause can begin years before the last menstrual cycle and last for several years after. It varies for each woman. Common signs and symptoms include:
These unpleasant symptoms are caused by shifting hormone levels, especially estrogen deficiency. They can significantly disrupt daily activities and overall quality of life for women going through menopause.
Over years, the decline in estrogen after menopause also leads to:
Getting proper treatment can help prevent these long term health effects of menopause. Our knowledgeable physicians at Balance & Renew Clinic optimize treatment plans for each woman’s unique needs.
Hormone therapy (HT), also called menopausal hormone therapy, helps supplement the body with adequate levels of estrogen and progesterone to alleviate unpleasant symptoms of menopause.
There are few types of hormone therapy:
The type of hormone therapy depends on whether the woman still has her uterus. Women with uterus require combination estrogen and progestin therapy to avoid lining overgrowth. Women without uterus can take estrogen alone.
When started early in menopause, experts agree hormone therapy is safe and effective for most women. The lowest dose needed to relieve symptoms is prescribed on an individual basis. Specific regimens can include pills, skin patches, vaginal creams or suppositories, shots, implants and hormone IUDs.
Some of the key benefits of hormone therapy include relief from:
Starting hormone therapy can also:
Most women who take hormone therapy notice an improvement in their quality of life. Symptoms start to diminish within a few weeks after starting therapy.
There are some risks associated with hormone therapy. The type, dose and duration of therapy impact those risks. Some doctors remain cautious given earlier studies raised concerns about heart disease and breast cancer risk. But current evidence suggests hormone therapy is safe for most women under age 60 within 10 years of menopause.
Potential risks include:
However, the low hormone doses used today make serious risks rare. Newer studies show minimal increased risk when hormone therapy is started early at lower doses and used less than 10 years.
Balance & Renew Clinic physicians carefully evaluate each woman to determine if hormone therapy is appropriate for her individual scenario. The benefits often outweigh the risks when hormone treatment is properly managed.
Determining if menopause has occurred requires diagnostic blood tests. Levels of key hormones like estrogen, progesterone and follicle stimulating hormone are measured over time.
Common hormone tests include:
Once diagnosed, additional bloodwork helps guide individualized treatment planning. Thyroid function, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular risk markers and nutritional status may also be assessed.
Balance & Renew Clinic utilizes top quality labs to ensure accurate test results which allows proper diagnosis and therapy planning for each unique woman.
There is no “one size fits all” approach to managing menopause and improving women’s health during this transition. Each woman experiences menopause differently with varying severity of symptoms that impact her quality of life.
Balance & Renew Clinic physicians develop custom therapy plans to meet every patient’s needs through:
We collaborate with each woman to optimize her health during perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
Many women going through menopause find relief from symptoms like hot flashes and mood changes through cognitive behavioral therapy techniques like paced breathing and positive self-talk, suggesting hormone therapy may not be the only option for managing this transition.
The earlier hormone therapy is started, the more effective it can be at preventing long term issues associated with menopause. Within the first few years after periods stop, women have an optimal window of opportunity to get the most benefits from treatment.
Some advantages of beginning therapy early include:
Hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness can be more difficult to control the longer menopause progresses untreated. Early treatment helps prevent symptoms from getting completely out of hand.
Research indicates health risks go up the longer women wait to start hormones after menopause begins. Heart disease, bone loss and genital tissue atrophy risks are lower when treatment is initiated early in menopause.
Low dose therapy started right away often allows symptom control with fewer medications. As time passes, higher doses of multiple hormones may be needed to address the same bothersome issues.
Relieving symptoms quickly prevents disruptions to sleep, mood, relationships and enjoyment of life. Women feel better overall when bothersome menopause issues are treated early.
We encourage women to begin exploring their options at the first onset of perimenopausal changes for optimal health. Our goal is supporting women through this transition and beyond.
When it comes to something as delicate as menopause treatment and hormone therapy, the care provider you choose matters.
Balance & Renew Clinic has extensive experience successfully treating women with:
We work closely with high quality compounding pharmacies to create specialized hormone preparations that meet each woman’s individual needs. With compounding, medications can be customized in type, dose and delivery method.
We also prescribe name brand hormones manufactured by pharmaceutical companies when indicated. All options are considered to determine the optimal treatment regimen based on the patient’s scenario.
Symptom relief is just the first step. We help women implement lifestyle changes regarding diet, exercise, stress reduction and targeted supplementation to promote optimal wellbeing during this transition and beyond.
Our physicians spend ample time listening to patients. We answer all questions and involve women in the decision making process to create therapy plans aligned with personal health goals.
In addition to our Shalimar clinic location, we also offer virtual video visits for consultations, follow up appointments, bloodwork evaluation and medication adjustments.
When making choices about your health, having an experienced physician you trust is key. The providers at Balance & Renew Clinic have the knowledge and dedication to support women’s wellness through every stage of life.
We hope this overview has enhanced your understanding of menopause treatment options and the advantages of hormone therapy. Managing this biological transition can significantly impact women’s health and quality of life for years to come.
We are committed to guiding each woman through menopause to optimize her health with individualized care. Here’s to embracing this new chapter of life!
