• Don’t smoke. If you do use any type of tobacco, stop—it’s never too late to benefit from quitting smoking.
• Eat a healthy diet, low in fat, high in fiber, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods, as well as all the important vitamins and minerals.
• Make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D—in your diet or with vitamin/mineral supplements.
• Learn what your healthy weight is, and try to stay there.
• Do weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, or dancing, at least 3 days each week for healthy bones. But try to be physically active in other ways for your general health.

Other things to remember:

• Take medicine if your doctor prescribes it for you, especially if it is for health problems you cannot see or feel—for example, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or osteoporosis.
• Use a water-based vaginal lubricant (not petroleum jelly) or a vaginal estrogen cream or tablet to help with vaginal discomfort.
• Get regular pelvic and breast exams, Pap tests, and mammograms. You should also be checked for colon and rectal cancer and for skin cancer. Contact your doctor right away if you notice a lump in your breast or a mole that has changed.

Menopause is not a disease that has to be treated. But you might need help if symptoms like hot flashes bother you. Here are some ideas that have helped some women:

• Try to keep track of when hot flashes happen—a diary can help. You might be able to use this information to find out what triggers your flashes and then avoid those triggers.
• When a hot flash starts, try to go somewhere cool.
• If night sweats wake you, sleep in a cool room or with a fan on.
• Dress in layers that you can take off if you get too warm.
• Use sheets and clothing that let your skin “breathe.”
• Have a cold drink (water or juice) when a flash is starting.

You could also talk to your doctor about whether there are any medicines to manage hot flashes. A few drugs that are approved for other uses, for example, certain anti-depressants, seem to be helpful to some women.

Source: National Institute on Aging

During menopause women undergo a lot of hormonal changes in their body. Some women have symptoms before the start of menopause while others will not have any noticeable changes. Normally during menopause, women have hot flushes especially at night. The body becomes warm and they sweat profusely. Other symptom is vaginal dryness. Doctor will prescribe some lubricants to deal with it. Another symptom is headaches, and depression. They get irritated for no reason at all. Skin become dry and looses its elasticity.

Extra care should be taken by using moisturizers. Women should prepare themselves for menopause. They should remind themselves that they are under going hormonal changes in their body, which causes uneasiness in them.

Women have a tendency to have osteoporosis, in which, their bones become brittle there is a chance of fracturing their bones easily on falling. Calcium supplement is what they need. One should start taking lots of milk once they have the symptoms of menopause.

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

If you need treatment for these symptoms, you and your doctor can work together to find a treatment that is best for you. Depression during perimenopause and menopause is treated in much the same way as depression that strikes at any other time life. If your mood is affecting your quality of life, here are a few things you can do:

• Try to get enough sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. Keep you 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 who are in perimenopause or menopause 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: http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/mental/

A healthy eating plan includes a variety of foods:

* Fruits and vegetables — Be sure to include dark green and orange vegetables and a variety of fruits in various forms.

* Grains — Make sure at least half of your grain choices are whole grains, such as whole wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice.

* Milk, cheese, and yogurt — Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

* Lean meats, beans, eggs, and nuts — Vary your protein choices and use low-fat cooking methods.

* Fats — Choose foods with heart-healthy fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) and limit heart-harmful fats (saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol).

Your fitness routine should include aerobic and strength-training activities, and may also include stretching and balance activities. This physical activity should be in addition to your routine activities of daily living, such as cleaning or walking short distances, such as from the parking lot to your office. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:

* Aerobic activity that includes:
o 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or
o 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or
o A combination of moderate and vigorous activity

and

* Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days of the week

If you have not been physically active, start slowly and then work your way up as you become more fit. Regular physical activity and healthy eating habits — together — can help you feel your best today and everyday.

Source: http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/eating/

Soy. This contains phytoestrogens (estrogen-like substances from a plant). Some research has shown that soy food products can help with mild hot flashes. Other research suggests that women who have been diagnosed with estrogen-dependent breast cancer should be cautious with their soy intake. Eating large amounts of soy products could be harmful for women with this type of breast cancer.
Other sources of phytoestrogens. The active ingredients in most dietary supplements for menopause are phytoestrogens — chemicals found in plants that may act like the estrogen produced naturally in the body. These include herbs, such as black cohosh, wild yam, dong quai, and valerian root.
Bioidentical hormone therapy. Bioidentical hormones are custom-mixed formulas containing various hormones that are chemically identical to those naturally made by your body. These over-the-counter products are marketed as being tailored to a woman’s individual hormone needs. There are two main types of Bioidentical hormones:

1. Those that are FDA-approved and commercially available with a prescription
2. Those that are mixed on an individual basis for women in compounding pharmacies, which are NOT FDA-approved

It is important to know that alternative therapies can affect medical care by introducing personal belief systems that are not typically a part of the doctor-patient relationship.

Source: http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/treatment/

• Reducing hot flashes
• Treating vaginal dryness
• Slowing bone loss
• Easing mood swings and mild depressive symptoms—MHT alone is not effective in treating depression
• Improving sleep

For some women, MHT may increase their chance of getting:

• Blood clots
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Breast cancer
• Gall bladder disease

Who should NOT use MHT for menopause:
Women who . . .

• Think they are pregnant
• Have problems with vaginal bleeding
• Have had certain kinds of cancers (such as breast and uterine cancer)
• Have had a stroke or heart attack
• Have had blood clots
• Have liver disease

MHT can also cause these side effects:

• Bleeding
• Bloating
• Breast tenderness or enlargement
• Headaches
• Mood changes
• Nausea

Source: http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/

During perimenopause, some doctors suggest birth control pills to help with very heavy, frequent, or unpredictable menstrual periods. These pills might also help with symptoms like hot flashes, as well as prevent pregnancy. As you get closer to menopause, you might be bothered more by symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, or vaginal dryness. Your doctor might then suggest starting MHT. A woman whose uterus has been removed can use estrogen alone to control her symptoms. But a woman who still has a uterus must take progesterone or a progestin (a man-made progesterone) along with the estrogen. These hormones will probably help with menopause symptoms and prevent the bone loss that can happen at menopause. However, there is a chance your symptoms will come back when you stop MHT.

Once a woman reaches menopause, MHT currently is recommended only as a short-term treatment of moderate to severe symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats. Women who have problems with vaginal dryness can try lower dose estrogen products, such as vaginal creams, rings, and tablets. Long-term use of MHT is no longer advised, and doctors very rarely prescribe MHT to prevent certain chronic diseases, like osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women should not take MHT as they grow older to prevent problems like heart disease. A woman should talk about the benefits and risks of using MHT with her doctor to decide if MHT is right for her.

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

Knowing how to talk to your doctor or other members of your health care team can help you get the information you need about menopause. Your doctor will tell you, as you near menopause, that you may have symptoms from the changes your body is making. For some women, their menopause symptoms will go away over time without treatment. Other women will choose treatment for their symptoms.

Talk to your doctor about how to best manage menopause. Talk about your symptoms and whether they bother you. Make sure the doctor knows your medical history and your family medical history. This includes whether you are at risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer. Remember that your decision is never final. You can, and should review it with your doctor during a checkup. Your needs may change, and so might what we know about menopause.

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

* Osteoporosis. Day in and day out your body is busy breaking down old bone and replacing it with new healthy bone. Estrogen helps control bone loss. So losing estrogen around the time of menopause causes women to begin to lose more bone than is replaced. In time, bones can become weak and break easily. This condition is called osteoporosis.
* Heart disease. After menopause, women are more likely to have heart disease. Changes in estrogen levels may be part of the cause. But, so is getting older. As you age, you may develop other problems, like high blood pressure or weight gain, which put you at greater risk for heart disease.

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

* Hot flashes. Keep track of when hot flashes happen. You might be able to identify a pattern or triggers, which you can avoid. Dress in layers and keep a fan in your home or workplace. If lifestyle changes don’t seem to help, ask your doctor about menopausal hormone therapy or nonhormonal prescription drugs. Research has found that nonhormonal prescription drugs, such as antidepressants, help hot flashes in some women.
* Vaginal dryness. Try an over-the-counter water-based vaginal lubricant. Prescription estrogen replacement creams and tablets also can help restore moisture and tissue health. If you have spotting or bleeding while using estrogen creams, you should see your doctor.
* Problems sleeping. One of the best ways to get a good night’s sleep is to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. But avoid physical activity close to bedtime. Also avoid alcohol, caffeine, large meals, and working right before bedtime. You might want to drink something warm, such as herb tea or warm milk, before bedtime. Keeping your bedroom cool and dark also can help. Avoid napping during the day and try to go to bed and get up at the same times every day.
* Memory problems. Some women complain about problems with memory and concentration. But there is no proof that menopause causes memory problems. Try to get enough sleep and engage in physical and social activity. If forgetfulness or other mental problems worry you or are affecting your everyday functioning, talk to your doctor.
* Mood swings. Try to get enough sleep and be physically active. Set limits for yourself, and look for positive ways to ease daily stress. Think about going to a support group for women who are going through the same thing as you, or getting counseling to talk through your problems and fears. Talk to your doctor if mood swings are causing you distress. Medicines might help. For instance, menopausal hormone therapy might help if mood swings are related to disrupted sleep caused by night sweats. Also, your doctor can look out for signs of depression, which is a serious illness that needs treatment.

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