Menopause can be a difficult time for many women. Reductions in circulating estrogen hormone levels result in a number of physical and physiological changes, which in turn may lead to mental and emotional stress. While short-term hormone replacement therapy helps many women, most symptoms of menopause can be relieved with simple lifestyle changes.
Weight gain during menopause can be distressing. Shifting to a low-fat, high-fiber diet and controlling overall dietary intake can help control weight gain. Diets rich in phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens, may offer additional relief. Soy products, such as tofu, soy milk and soy powders are rich in phytoestrogens, and help lower cholesterol. Linseed products are also a good source of phytoestrogens. Regular exercise, for approximately 30 minutes several times a week, can also help control weight gain. Added benefits of regular exercise are conversion of fat into lean muscle mass, which helps burn off excess calories even while resting. Furthermore, exercise may help improve conditions such as low energy levels, mood swings, sleeplessness, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Many women suffer from irritability, mood swings, and depression during the onset of menopause. While some of this may be attributable to the stress of undergoing a major life change, any such symptoms should be carefully evaluated by a physician and appropriately managed. Depending on the severity of symptoms, lifestyle or drug treatments may be prescribed. While there is no scientific proof of its efficacy, some women claim the herb St. John’s Wort offers relief in depression. Any attempts at self-medication should be discussed with a physician.
Dry and wrinkled skin is a common complaint among menopausal women. Estrogen skin creams may help; these can be prescribed by consulting a dermatologist. Stopping smoking helps maintain healthy skin and has numerous other health benefits. Avoiding excessive exposure to direct sunlight, and using UV-ray blocking skin creams, can also offer relief.
With a healthy diet and exercise, menopausal women can improve distressing symptoms such as weight gain and mood swings. For more serious depression, drugs may be prescribed, and for wrinkles, estrogen cream and avoiding the sun can help.
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Menopause Weight Gain
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Weight gain in menopausal women, particularly in the abdominal area, is associated with decreased levels of the hormone estrogen. Fat accumulates around the stomach area, not around the hips and thighs as it does at a younger age. The exact mechanism of this weight gain...
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Menopause Symptoms
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The symptoms that menopausal women report vary widely. All women experience irregular or shorter periods during the year or so before their periods stop altogether. The majority of women going through menopause also experience hot flashes. These typically begin with a feeling of mild to...
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Menopause Treatment
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Menopause is a normal part of a woman’s life, and as such requires no treatment. However, the symptoms a menopausal woman suffers may range from mild to debilitating. These symptoms may require some form of treatment. Up until recently, hormone replacement therapy, in particular estrogen...
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Early Menopause
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Early or premature menopause is defined as menopause before the age of 40. Premature ovarian failure, surgery, and chemotherapy may all result in early menopause. About one in a hundred women may experience early menopause; some may be teenagers or in their twenties. Symptoms of...
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Menopause
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Menopause is the point in a woman’s life when no more eggs are released from her ovaries and her period or menstrual cycle stops. The medical definition of menopause is no period for at least 12 months that is not due to any underlying medical...
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Menopause And Osteoporosis
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Estrogen is an important hormone that is required to maintain bone strength. During menopause, the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Over the next several years, bones become progressively weaker. A woman may lose up to ten percent of her total bone mass in the first five...
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Menopause Insomnia
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When a menopausal woman consults a physician, the most frequently heard complaint is insomnia. The ageing process reduces the quality and duration of sleep. In a menopausal woman, the reduction of hormones and its imbalance makes it worse. The biological and psychological changes that occur...
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Menopause Hot Flashes
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Hot flashes is the most widespread symptom faced by American women going through menopause – about 75% of such women suffer hot flashes. Hot flashes makes a woman feel hot in the neck and the head. Heart palpitations, dizziness, headache, sweating, nausea and anxiety may...
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Hair Loss and Menopause
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Women with menopause are prime candidates for hair loss. Statistics show that about 50 percent of women experience some hair loss while going through menopause, and about 66 percent worry about thinning hair or bald spots during post-menopausal stages. This is a natural stage in...
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Signs Of Clinical Depression
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Symptoms of clinical depression vary from amongst people and ranges from mood swings to memory loss. Depression often manifests itself with a wide array of experiences and becomes difficult to diagnose, if left untreated. Depression, like other illnesses come in different forms. Three of the...