Menopause is a natural transition that all women experience as they age. It marks the end of a woman's reproductive years and is diagnosed after 12 months without a menstrual period. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause and can start 8-10 years before a woman's final period.
During perimenopause and menopause, women experience changes caused by shifting hormone levels, primarily estrogen and progesterone. Some of the most common symptoms include:
While symptoms can disrupt daily life, the long-term effects of menopause are even more serious. Low estrogen levels lead to increased risks for several health conditions:
The symptoms and health risks associated with menopause make it crucial for women to seek evaluation and treatment during the transition. Getting proper medical care can provide immense relief of symptoms and reduce the likelihood of developing other medical conditions down the road.
Doctors specializing in hormone therapy can accurately diagnose menopause using a combination of assessment tools: tracking cycles and symptoms, physical exams, checking follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, and estrogen testing. FSH levels above 30 mIU/mL typically indicate that a woman has reached menopause.
At Vital Hormones Clinic, our experienced practitioners provide cutting-edge testing, treatment plans, and continuing care to help women thrive through menopause.
The most common and effective treatment approaches used today focus on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT provides the body with more of the hormones that decline during menopause - mainly estrogen and progesterone.
There are many forms HRT can take, from pills and patches to gels, implants, shots, and creams. Doctors determine which option makes the most sense for each woman based on her specific symptoms, medical history, risk factors, and preferences.
Hormone replacement aims to:
Numerous studies show that HRT effectively minimizes hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness when used early on. Starting treatment within 6-36 months of the final menstrual period provides the greatest benefits. HRT also helps prevent fractures by maintaining bone mineral density.
The most common HRT plan focuses on adding back estrogen. Introducing estrogen externally replaces the woman's natural estrogen lost during menopause. Estrogen therapy helps:
Estrogen can be taken alone by most women who've undergone hysterectomies. Those with uteruses need progesterone to guard against uterine cancer risks associated with unopposed estrogen.
Women who still have a uterus must take a progestogen medication, like progesterone, in combination with estrogen. The progesterone protects the uterine lining and lowers chances of developing uterine cancer.
When used together, estrogen and progesterone balance each other out through feedback loops. This helps stabilize fluctuating hormone levels while alleviating uncomfortable symptoms.
Bioidentical hormones are structurally identical to the hormones women make prior to menopause. They are "natural" and plant-derived. In contrast, traditional synthetic hormones have slightly different structures.
Research indicates that bioidentical estrogen and progesterone provide equivalent relief for menopause symptoms but possibly greater safety over the long run. This seems to be especially true when balancing estrogen with progesterone in women with intact uteruses.
Vital Hormones Clinic specializes in custom crafting bioidentical hormone therapies to meet each woman's individual needs, risks, and treatment goals.
Sometimes estrogen is applied directly to tissues that require more focused treatment, like the vagina. Local low-dose estrogen creams, tablets, or rings help restore thinning tissues and relieve irritation without raising systemic hormone levels significantly.
Local vaginal estrogen should be tried first for genitourinary issues before considering systemic hormone therapy. If hot flashes, sleep disruption, or bone loss occur, systemic therapy can be added.
While hormone therapy serves as the foundation of treatment during menopause, certain lifestyle measures also help women manage symptoms and reduce future health risks.
Menopause accelerates bone loss, so it becomes crucial to build strong bones before changes begin and to slow thinning as much as possible. Excellent nutrition and weight-bearing exercise prevent fractures.
Estrogen deprivation during menopause shifts cholesterol ratios and blood pressure in ways that significant raise cardiovascular risks. Diet and activity improvements help stabilize these changes.
Hormone fluctuations during the menopausal transition often trigger mood changes like anxiety, irritability, sadness and trouble focusing. Support groups, counseling, stress reduction practices, and HRT provide relief.
In addition to hormone optimization, Vital Hormones Clinic practitioners offer personalized lifestyle guidance and resources to help women protect long term health during menopause.
The transition through perimenopause and menopause presents physical and emotional challenges for many women. At Vital Hormones Clinic in Apache Junction, we understand the struggles this important phase of life can bring.
Our top priority is improving quality of life for women in our community experiencing menopause symptoms. We provide cutting-edge testing, an array of treatment options, and compassionate continuing care so patients can feel their best now and as they age.
The first step is confirming that symptoms stem from menopause and not another condition. We check medical history, symptoms, menstrual cycles and perform relevant tests like:
Results from a woman's clinical workup and her individual goals dictate the treatments we recommend, such as:
We re-evaluate patients frequently and modify plans over time to maintain symptom relief and preserve wellbeing. Support continues through completion of the menopause transition.
Menopause care requires more than prescriptions alone. We know the physical annoyances also take emotional and social tolls that shouldn't be ignored.
To promote mental health during such an impactful life transition, we help women build local support systems. We provide connections to great area resources like counselors, group programs, spas, walking groups and fitness centers. Patients also gain access to online networks offering motivation and camaraderie.
You don't have to struggle through menopause alone, even if you just moved to Apache Junction. The compassionate practitioners at Vital Hormones Clinic Menopause Clinic will support you each step of the journey!
Many women are unaware that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be an effective menopause treatment. CBT helps women manage troublesome menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and sleep disturbances by changing negative thought patterns and behaviors related to menopause.
Women undergoing the menopausal transition often have many questions about what to expect and the best strategies for managing changes that occur. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
The menopausal transition starts 1-2 years before the final menstrual period and lasts for 1 year without periods for official menopause diagnosis. But perimenopause effects building for years prior make the whole process 7-15 years.
Yes, but only minimally once periods cease completely. As the ovaries finish producing estrogen/progesterone, small amounts still come from fat tissue and adrenal glands. Tiny fluctuates may persist.
Checking follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen levels can confirm diagnosis. But changes over months in cycles and symptoms allow doctors to identify menopause as well.
Early intervention with HRT works best to prevent bone loss accelerate in late perimenopause and relieve difficult symptoms appearing during the transition. Starting treatment within 6-36 months of final period optimizes benefits long term benefits.
It depends. Women with estrogen positive breast cancer cannot take systemic estrogen. But those treated for other cancers like endometrial, ovarian or colon often can use low dose vaginal estrogen for urogenital symptoms under doctor supervision.
Have more questions about menopause or need relief for symptoms? The experts at Vital Hormones Clinic Menopause Clinic are happy to help!
