Menopause

Symptoms

Usually, women will experience symptoms such as hot flashes/flushes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings as their menses end. When 12 consecutive months go by with no periods, women can consider themselves menopausal. Other symptoms can also occur, such as memory loss, achy joints, changes in skin and hair and sleep disturbances. Keep in mind that other medical conditions can cause these same symptoms, so don't blame everything on menopause. See your care provider to determine the cause of your symptoms.

What Works

Few decisions are as difficult for most women as the decisions involved in settling on an approach to menopause. These are very important choices that, among other considerations, should be based on medical history...yours and your family's. There are no "right" answers, and our own decisions may change with time. For example, some women choose hormonal replacement, while others choose nonpharmacologic ways to deal with symptoms and support their bodies as they move through this change. Others start with holistic treatments to treat symptoms while they are still menstruating, then switch to hormones later.