Changes in your body in the years around menopause increase your chances of having certain health problems. Lower levels of estrogen and other changes related to aging (like possibly gaining weight) increase women’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.

You should plan to build your health in the years around menopause by eating well. Older people need just as many nutrients but tend to need fewer calories for energy. Make sure you have a balanced diet. Women over 50 need 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B₁₂ and 1.5 milligrams of vitamin B₆ each day. Ask your doctor if you need a vitamin supplement.  After menopause, a woman’s calcium needs go up to maintain bone health. Women 51 and older should get 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. Vitamin D also is important to bone health. Women 51 to 70 should get 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day. Women ages 71 and older need 800 IU of vitamin D each day. Women past menopause who are still having vaginal bleeding because they are using menopausal hormone therapy might need extra iron.

Source: the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

But the reason for these emotional problems isn’t always clear. Research shows that menopausal symptoms such as sleep problems, hot flashes, night sweats, and fatigue can affect mood and well-being. The drop in estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause might also affect mood. Or it could be a combination of hormone changes and menopausal symptoms.

But changes in mood also can have causes that are unrelated to menopause. If you are having emotional problems that are interfering with your quality of life, it is important to discuss them with your doctor. Talk openly with your doctor about the other things going on in your life that might be adding to your feelings. Other things that could cause feelings of depression and/or anxiety during menopause include:

• Having depression before menopause
• Feeling negative about menopause and getting older
• Increased stress
• Having severe menopausal symptoms
• Smoking
• Not being physically active
• Not being happy in your relationship or not being in a relationship
• Not having a job
• Not having enough money
• Having low self-esteem (how you feel about yourself)
• Not having the social support you need
• Feeling disappointed that you can’t have children anymore

Source: Womenshealth.gov

Menopause is the point in time when a woman’s menstrual periods stop. Menopause happens because the ovaries stop producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Once you have gone through menopause, you can’t get pregnant anymore. Some people call the years leading up to a woman’s last period menopause, but that time actually is the menopausal transition, or perimenopause.

During the time of the menopausal transition (perimenopause), your periods can stop for a while and then start again. Therefore, the only way to know if you have gone through menopause is if you have not had your period for one year. (And it’s not menopause if your periods stop for some other reason, like being sick.) The average age of menopause is 51, but for some women it happens as early as 40 or as late as 55.

After you go through menopause, you are considered in the post-menopausal stage of your life. Your female hormones won’t go up and down the way they used to with your periods. They will stay at very low levels.

Source: Office on Women’s Health

Changes in sexuality at this time of life have several possible causes, including:

• Decreased hormones can make vaginal tissues drier and thinner, which can make sex uncomfortable.
• Decreased hormones may reduce sex drive.
• Night sweats can disturb a woman’s sleep and make her too tired for sex.
• Emotional changes can make a woman feel too stressed for sex.

Keep in mind that being less interested in sex as you get older is not a medical condition that needs treatment. But if you are upset about sexual changes, you can get help. Don’t be shy about talking with your doctor or nurse. They certainly have talked with many women about these issues before.

Source: The Office on Women’s Health

One women states that she was thrilled because the years of cramps and bloating have ended. How nervous you feel, you will make it through. It’s just like child birth, no classes can prepare you for the real thing. When you go through it, it might not be all that nad. Menopause is part of a woman’s life. You should celebrate and embrace it as you’re going to enter a new chapter of your life.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Try to notice what triggers your hot flashes and avoid those things. Possible triggers to consider include spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, stress, or being in a hot place. If possible, dress in layers and remove some when you feel a flash starting. Buy a fan and place it in your workplace and at home. It’ll make a big difference when hot flashes are triggered. If you still have menstrual periods, ask your doctor if you might take low-dose birth control pills. These may help symptoms and prevent pregnancy.

There are also medical help. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats. Ask your doctor if the benefits of MHT outweigh the risks for you. If MHT is not an option for you, ask your doctor about prescription medicines that are usually used for other conditions. These include antidepressants, epilepsy medicine, and blood pressure medicine.

Lastly, when a flash starts, don’t panic, try taking slow and deep breaths. Also if you’re overweight, losing weight might help with hot flashes, according to one recent study.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

• Try to get enough sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. Keep your room cool and dark. Use your bed only for sleeping and sex. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, large meals, or physical activity before bed.
• Engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
• Set limits for yourself, and look for positive ways to unwind and ease daily stress. Try relaxation techniques, reading a book, or spending some quiet time outdoors.
• Talk to your friends or go to a support group for women who are going through the same thing as you. You also can get counseling to talk through your problems and fears.
• Ask your doctor about therapy or medicines. Menopausal hormone therapy can reduce symptoms that might be causing your moodiness. Antidepressants might also help.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hot flashes happen around the time of menopause. They may be related to changing estrogen levels. Hot flashes may last a few years after menopause. A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat in the upper part or all of your body. Your face and neck become flushed. Red blotches may appear on your chest, back, and arms. Heavy sweating and cold shivering can follow.

Flashes can be very mild or strong enough to wake you from your sleep which is called night sweats. Most hot flashes last between 30 seconds and 10 minutes. You may experience it even after menopause. The good news is that eventually the symptoms do go away.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Soy contains phytoestrogens which is estrogen-like substances from a plant. But, there is no proof that soy really does make hot flashes better. Researches still do not know the risk of taking soy pills and powders. If you really want to give it a try, take soy in your foods such as tofu, soymilk, and soy nuts. It can’t hurt you. Plus you’d be less likely to overdose in foods than taking soy pills.

Whether the supplemental herbs such as wild yam, dong quai, and valerian root Again help or not is unknown. There is no proof that these herbs help with hot flashes.

Although plant based products seem to be safe, there’s no proof whether they are actually safe nor helpful at easing symptoms of menopause. The best way is to talk to your doctor before taking anything.

Department of Health and Human Services.

Estrogen therapy was approved for the relief of hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. Although hormone therapy is effective for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis, it should only be considered for women at significant risk of osteoporosis. Even when women do take hormone therapy, the FDA still recommends using it at the lowest doze possible.

If you’re planning on taking it for whatever reason, you need to discuss with your doctor about its risks and benefits. Be sure the risk that you’re taking is less than the benefits. If for the pure reason of preventing heart disease, there are alternatives. You can eat healthier, increase exercise, lower your blood pressure, and quit smoking. All these will help you just as much.

Source: NHLBI Health Information Center