The termination of a woman’s menstrual cycles, also known as menopause, occurs on average, around 50 years of age. Due to the decrease in estrogen production at this time in a woman’s life, she may experience some undesirable side effects.
When a woman is transitioning into her menopausal state, but is past her reproductive state, she is in a state known as “perimenopause”. At this time a woman begins developing irregular periods, becoming less and less frequent and at that time she may be experiencing symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. These symptoms are consistent with the fluctuating hormonal levels that a woman’s body is experiencing at this time. Most women find these symptoms very inconvenient to their social and career lives so Dr. Shakiba offers the option of hormone replacement therapy as well as more holistic options to level out the fluctuating hormones, making the symptoms more tolerable.
Once a woman is officially in menopause, she will no longer have a period and thus her body will no longer be making estrogen. Although some women may find it relieving to no longer have a period, there are some negative side effects to the lack of estrogen being produced. For example, the decrease in estrogen may cause a woman to develop vaginal atrophy or vaginal dryness. Estrogen also plays a large role in bone formation. With a lack of estrogen, a bone’s density may decrease to a dangerous level, making the potential for broken bones much greater with a fall or accident. Low bone density, also known as “osteoporosis”, is a common but risky condition for menopausal women. If a woman is found to be osteopenic (pre-osteoporosis) or osteoporotic, she should schedule a consult appointment to discuss possible supplemental regimens to help improve or prevent further loss of bone density.
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