Menopause

Every patient at Physicians and Surgeons for Women has either gone through it, going through it, or it’s in their future. For every woman, menopause is inevitable.

What is menopause? Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her ovaries stop making a hormone called estrogen. The lack of estrogen causes her to stop menstruation. For most, this does not happen abruptly, and there is a phase she will go through while estrogen production is slowing down. This  is known as perimenopause.

Although many have similar symptoms, all women progress through menopause differently! For example, the age of onset varies.  There is not an exact age intended for women to begin this transition. There are common symptoms; Hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, weight gain, vaginal changes, and urinary changes. Another common issue correlated  with menopause is bone loss. Bone loss is normal in both women and men as we age. For women, the decreased amount of estrogen caused by menopause causes them to lose bone more rapidly. This greatly increases their chances of osteoporosis. Although all these issues are not guaranteed, the probability of experiencing these symptoms is high.

So, how do we deal with this? Good question! 

Establishing a relationship with a gynecologist and attending yearly checkups throughout a woman’s life is important for many reasons. Menopause is one of them. Having an established provider before you reach menopause will give you the ability to catch the signs and symptoms early on. There is no need to suffer for years before you reach out for help in dealing with menopause. As treatment options are constantly developing, we are doing our research and looking for ways to help women manage. Your provider will be able to work with you to construct a plan tailored to you that will work best for your needs. Along with making healthy lifestyle choices to benefit the changes in your body.

At Physicians and Surgeons for Women, we do not want you to go through the complications of menopause alone. We are here to support you, to answer your questions, and do our best to keep you comfortable through the years of transition.