When you’ve reached the half-century mark, you’re old enough to have gained valuable wisdom from life experiences. You’re also old enough to notice things like your vision and mobility going slightly off the rails.
For women, this milestone also comes with a complicated phase: Menopause.
They know it’s coming, but the symptoms of this transition can catch people off guard. These changes in hormone levels can start up to 10 years prior to menopause even as early as the 30s and 40s (also known as perimenopause), and can bring symptoms including:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Sleep problems
- Mood swings
- Vaginal dryness
- Weight gain
- Hair loss
- Skin changes
- Changes in libido
“Perimenopause and menopause are normal, natural phases of life,” said Katy Wehrmann, APN-CNM, a certified nurse midwife and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner with Endeavor Health. “But the symptoms during this complicated time of life can be profoundly disruptive. We have a number of things we can try to ease that discomfort.”
While the symptoms can be frustrating, they aren’t insurmountable. You can buy reading glasses, you can strength train, and you have options to handle the symptoms of hormone fluctuations.
What happens to your hormones during perimenopause and menopause?
During perimenopause, the body is preparing to sunset the reproductive system. Estrogen levels fluctuate, making periods less regular. In menopause, periods stop altogether (on average, around age 51).
During this time, the body goes through a period of hormonal imbalance as three hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) decline.
“Hormone fluctuations are normal and happen in every stage of life. The ups and downs of hormones are what prompt menstruation and facilitate pregnancy and childbirth,” Wehrmann said. “Perimenopause and menopause are other transitions facilitated by hormones.”
The resulting symptoms vary in intensity from person to person. For some, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help ease the symptoms.
What is HRT?
Hormone therapy means taking estrogen and sometimes progestin (for those who have not had a hysterectomy) to ease the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Adding estrogen back into the body can ease hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. It can also help protect against bone density loss, another side effect of lower estrogen levels in menopause.
Does HRT increase the risk for serious diseases like breast cancer or heart attacks?
While everyone’s age and medical history matter when it comes to hormone therapy effectiveness, the treatment is generally safe and the benefits often outweigh the risks, experts say. In fact, the FDA recently announced it was removing the warning labels from hormone therapy because they were unnecessarily discouraging women from receiving a beneficial treatment.
“It’s exciting that this announcement from the FDA will help break down fears the public has about HRT,” Wehrmann said. “The conversation about benefits, risks and safety should be between an individual woman and her health care provider and not be influenced by an inaccurate black box warning.”
How do you find out whether you would benefit from HRT?
Because hormone therapy can slightly increase the risk of blood clots, heart attack, or certain cancers depending on your personal risk factors, hormone type and route, it’s best to talk to your midwife, OB/GYN or primary care physician about your personal potential risks and benefits based on your medical history and symptoms.
There are other medications and natural remedies for the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Talk to your provider about what would be best for you.
Related Articles
