Items Tagged With Menopause

Declining estrogen levels associated with menopause can cause more than those pesky hot flashes. They can also make a woman feel like she is in a constant state of PMS (premenstrual syndrome). Unfortunately, these emotional changes are a normal part of menopause.

Some of the emotional changes experienced by women undergoing perimenopause or menopause can include:

• Irritability
• Feelings of sadness
• Lack of motivation
• Anxiety
• Aggressiveness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Mood changes
• Tension

If you are feeling irritable and sad there is a good chance it could be related to menopause, but the above listed symptoms are not linked only to menopause. There are a number of conditions that can cause you to feel down right irritable. Tell your doctor how you are feeling. He or she can make sure a more serious condition is not causing you to feel this way.

How Can I Cope With These Emotional Changes?

Irritability and feelings of sadness are the most common emotional symptoms of menopause. Often, they can be managed through lifestyle changes, such as learning ways to relax and reduce stress.

Here are some tips that may make it easier for you to handle your fluctuating emotions.

• Exercise and eat healthy.
• Find a self-calming skill to practice, such as yoga, meditation or rhythmic breathing.
• Avoid tranquilizers and alcohol.
• Engage in a creative outlet that fosters a sense of achievement.
• Stay connected with your family and community.
• Nurture your friendships.

Although depression is not caused by menopause, some women do exhibit the symptoms of depression during this time. If you are feeling increasingly unable to cope, see your doctor. He or she may be able to recommend medicine, such as antidepressants, or therapy that can get you through this rough time.

Can Hormone Therapy Ease My Emotional Problems?

While there is growing evidence to suggest that hormone therapy (HT) can relieve emotional symptoms, HT alone is not effective in treating more severe depression. Antidepressant drug therapy and/or psychotherapy may be necessary.

I Have a Hard Time Concentrating and I'm Forgetful. Is This a Normal Part of Menopause?

Unfortunately, difficulty with concentrating and minor memory problems can often be a normal part of menopause. Current medical knowledge is limited as to why memory changes occur with menopause; and there are currently no treatments available to relieve these symptoms. If you are having memory problems, discuss this with your doctor. He or she can help manage memory problems, or may be able to provide reassurance.

VitaDocs Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic

An Emotional Roller Coaster  Menopause  Womens Health 

Controlling lifestyle stress and anxiety may help reduce the number and severity of hot flashes associated with menopause, according to doctors at the University of Pennsylvania.

Hot flashes are perhaps the most troublesome symptom associated with approaching menopause and are experienced by a majority of women during the transition to menopause. Menopause - the ending of menstruation - is defined as having 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period and occurs at an average age of 51.

Researchers studied over 400 Caucasian and African American women between 37 and 47 years of age who still had regular menstrual cycles. The women took tests that measured their anxiety levels at the start of the study and again following a six-year period. After six years, many of the women were experiencing hot flashes and irregular menstrual periods, two signs of approaching menopause. The women's anxiety scores were directly correlated with the severity and frequency of hot flashes, even when factors such as blood estrogen levels, cigarette smoking, and stage of menopause were taken into account. Those women with the highest anxiety levels reported almost five times as many hot flashes as less-anxious women, and women with moderate anxiety had hot flashes three times as often as those with normal levels of anxiety.

These results are particularly intriguing because they suggest that women can have some measure of control over their unpleasant symptoms of menopause by implementing lifestyle alterations such as stress management or relaxation techniques. Other studies have shown that obesity and cigarette smoking can also worsen menopausal hot flashes.

VitaDocs Medical Reference from MedicineNet

Anxiety Worsens Hot Flashes  Menopause  Womens Health 

Premature Menopause

Premature menopause is menopause that happens before the age of 40 — whether it is natural or induced. Women who enter menopause early get symptoms similar to those of natural menopause, like hot flashes, emotional problems, vaginal dryness, and decreased sex drive. For some women with early menopause, these symptoms are severe. Also, women who have early menopause tend to get weaker bones faster than women who enter menopause later in life. This raises their chances of getting osteoporosis and breaking a bone. Premature menopause can happen for these reasons.

• Chromosome defects. Defects in the chromosomes can cause premature menopause. For example, women with Turner's syndrome are born without a second X chromosome or born without part of the chromosome. The ovaries don't form normally, and early menopause results.

• Genetics. Women with a family history of premature menopause are more likely to have early menopause themselves.

• Autoimmune diseases. The body's immune system, which normally fights off diseases, mistakenly attacks a part of its own reproductive system. This hurts the ovaries and prevents them from making female hormones. Thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two diseases in which this can happen.

• Surgery to Remove the Ovaries. Surgical removal of both ovaries, also called a bilateral oophorectomy, puts a woman into menopause right away. She will no longer have periods, and hormones decline rapidly. She may have menopausal symptoms right away, like hot flashes and diminished sexual desire. Women who have a hysterectomy, but have their ovaries left in place, will not have induced menopause because their ovaries will continue to make hormones. But because their uterus is removed, they no longer have their periods and cannot get pregnant. They might have hot flashes since the surgery can sometimes disturb the blood supply to the ovaries. Later on, they might have natural menopause a year or two earlier than expected.

• Chemotherapy or Pelvic Radiation Treatments for Cancer. Cancer chemotherapy or pelvic radiation therapy for reproductive system cancers can cause ovarian damage. Women may stop getting their periods, have fertility problems, or lose their fertility. This can happen right away or take several months. With cancer treatment, the chances of going into menopause depend on the type of chemotherapy used, how much was used, and the age of the woman when she gets treatment. The younger a woman is, the less likely she will go into menopause.

How to Find Out if You Have Premature Menopause

Your doctor will ask you if you've had changes typical of menopause, like hot flashes, irregular periods, sleep problems, and vaginal dryness. Normally, menopause is confirmed when a woman hasn't had her period for 12 months in a row.

However, with certain types of premature menopause, these signs may not be enough for a diagnosis. A blood test that measures follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) can be done. Your ovaries use this hormone to make estrogen. FSH levels rise when the ovaries stop making estrogen. When FSH levels are higher than normal, you've reached menopause. However, your estrogen levels vary daily, so you may need this test more than once to know for sure.

You may also have a test for levels of estradiol (a type of estrogen) and luetinizing hormone (LH). Estradiol levels fall when the ovaries fail. Levels lower than normal are a sign of menopause. LH is a hormone that triggers ovulation. If you test above normal levels, you've gone through menopause.

March 11, 2005 -- Women in their first few years of menopause can reap lots of benefits from exercise, say German researchers.

"This study confirms the importance of exercise in maintaining health," writes Wolfgang Kemmler, PhD, a researcher for the study.

They say newly menopausal women who exercise get perks, including:

• Better bone density
• Lower cholesterol and blood fats
• Stronger muscles
• Slimmer waists
• Improved endurance
• Fewer mood swings
• Fewer migraines
• Reduced insomnia

Exercise didn't trump hot flashes or depression in the study. However, other research has shown that aerobic exercise can have an antidepressant effect.

It's probably no surprise to hear experts tout the perks of working out. Exercise is widely recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone from kids to senior citizens.

The German study goes a little further. It focused on women who had been menopausal for only one to eight years. Exercise has rarely been studied in such women, say the researchers.

Long-Term Exercise Commitment

This was no brief boot camp. The study lasted three years.

The women's bone density wasn't up to par in their spine and hip. The problem wasn't severe enough to qualify as osteoporosis. Instead, it was diagnosed as osteopenia, a first sign of thinner, weaker bones which increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Could exercise help the women save their bones? Would it also have other positive results?

To find out, 86 women were assigned to an exercise program. Another 51 women formed the control group, which didn't follow the fitness routine.

The women were free to eat whatever they wanted. Based on their food diaries, they were given calcium and vitamin D supplements, if needed, to meet their daily nutritional requirements.

By the end of the study, 48 women remained in the exercise group; 30 women stuck with the control group. More women quit who didn't exercise (29% of the control group versus 21% of the exercise group).

Exercise Routine

The exercisers worked out four times per week for 65-70 minutes at a time. Each week, two sessions were done in a supervised group setting; the other two were done at home.

After warming up for 10 minutes, the women did aerobic types of exercise. Participants jumped rope, hoisted weights, did calisthenics, and stretched. They also used weight machines, dumbbells, and elastic belts for strength and resistance training.

They weren't allowed to get too comfortable. The routine was tweaked as the women got stronger to keep it challenging.

The women in the control group were requested to continue their usual lifestyle.

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