Menopause

Some women going through menopause experience few adverse effects, but others suffer distressing symptoms for years. If you find menopause affects your quality of life, talk to Amy Barudin, NP-C, and her team at Barudin Wellness in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. They specialize in women’s health issues like menopause and offer comprehensive care, including hormone therapy. Call Barudin Wellness to discuss your menopause issues with a highly skilled health professional. You can also book an in-person or telehealth appointment online today.

What is menopause?

Menopause is a natural phase in women’s lives that happens in middle age, signaling the end of their ability to bear children.

The trigger for menopause is falling hormone levels. The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone control menstruation and reproduction. As you age, your body’s estrogen and progesterone production slows, and at about 50, your periods stop.

The initial stage is perimenopause, a time when changes start happening. Menopause officially begins after you’ve not menstruated for 12 consecutive months. The entire process can take several years or more.

Some women have few difficulties going through menopause, while others experience distressing side effects that significantly impact their quality of life.

What problems might menopause cause?

During perimenopause, your periods might become irregular. They may occur more often or further apart. You might experience bleeding between periods and more or less pain and blood loss than usual. Perimenopause can also cause:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Painful intercourse
• Mood swings
• Difficulty sleeping
• Thinning skin and hair
• Depression and anxiety
• Trouble thinking clearly
• Memory problems
• Decreased libido

In addition to these noticeable issues, falling estrogen levels increase your risk of osteoporosis. This condition gradually weakens your bones and can cause frequent fractures in later life. Your risk of heart disease and stroke also rises after menopause.

How are menopause’s adverse effects treated?

It’s important to make healthy lifestyle changes that improve your general well-being during perimenopause and menopause. Depending on the issues you face, this could include:

• Losing weight
• Exercising regularly
• Quitting smoking
• Eating a diverse, nutritious diet
• Managing stress
• Taking Fullscript™ hormone-balancing supplements 

If menopause causes vaginal dryness, the Barudin Wellness team can prescribe topical estrogen to stimulate natural lubrication. You can also use a vaginal lubricant during sex to improve your comfort.

If you have multiple problems, hormone therapy might be the answer. It boosts estrogen and/or progesterone levels, reversing or relieving many menopause symptoms. Your provider also checks for other conditions that can result in similar symptoms, like hypothyroidism. 

This chronic disease develops when you don’t produce enough thyroid hormone and often starts causing problems at around the same time women are in perimenopause.

In addition, it’s important to have regular heart health checks and undergo bone density screening to identify early-stage osteoporosis.

Call Barudin Wellness to arrange a menopause health check or book an appointment online today.