What is menopause?
Menopause is medically defined as 12 consecutive months without having a menstrual period. When this occurs a woman no longer produces eggs and is therefore no longer able to become pregnant. The average age of onset in this country is 51. Menopause is accompanied by a decrease in the ovaries production of the sexual reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. These decreases and the hormonal fluctuations that precede menopause, can cause a multitude of unpleasant symptoms.
What are common symptoms of menopause?
Frequency, severity and the number of symptoms vary considerably between woman. Some are lucky enough to experience barely any. However, for those who do, they often begin years before the actual onset of menopause. These include:
- Hot flashes. Women with severe hot flashes can burst into a sweat randomly. Similarly, nights sweats can occur randomly as a woman sleeps. Often, night sweats disrupt sleep.
- Vaginal dryness. This can lead to pain during intercourse and frequent urinary tract infections.
- Urinary incontinence, or stress incontinence.
How are menopause symptoms managed?
Dr. Nanayakkara uses a wide range of treatment for managing the symptoms of menopause. Depending on your specific symptoms and their severity, treatment may entail nutritional counseling, dietary supplements, lifestyle changes, stress relief techniques, the ground-breaking MonaLisa Touch® laser therapy, or hormone replacement therapy.
If I’ve gone through menopause without any bothersome symptoms do I still need to visit my OB/GYN?
If you’re fortunate enough not to be plagued by uncomfortable menopausal symptoms, consider yourself lucky, but still have an annual well-woman exam. The decrease of estrogen production that accompanies menopause increases your risk for a variety of diseases and health conditions increases, and early diagnosis is essential to effective treatment. Among these potential problems are osteoporosis, heart disease, urinary incontinence, joint pain, autoimmune diseases, and even certain cancers.
