Hot flashes

Hot flashes, along with night sweating and vaginal dryness, can be considered as the only real symptoms associated with menopause. It is sad to note that at least 4 out of every 5 women in most western countries inevitably suffer from these symptoms as they enter their menopausal years.

It is interesting to know, however, that there are some cultures around the world where women are not bothered as much by hot flashes. Several anthropological studies show that the Japanese, Chinese and Mexican women are spared largely from these discomforting symptoms.

Understanding Hot Flashes

During menopause, women become more sensitive to temperature changes. So, during a hot flash episode, you may feel that your face, upper body or whole body becomes very warm and flushed. You will feel the need to cool yourself down by shedding your coat or sweaters and fanning yourself as your skin temperature increases by about 7 to 8°F. You may experience a little or profuse sweating as your body tries to cool you down. Your heart rate also goes up and you may feel a little dizzy or breathless during the episode. All of these may last anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes but can sometimes last longer.

After a hot flash episode, your body temperature will fall a little. You may even feel cold as your sweat evaporates. Studies show that hot flashes are most common in the late afternoon, early evening and in the middle of the night. Hot flashes can bring on more serious complications when it bothers you as you sleep soundly during the night since it can lead to fatigue and difficulty in concentrating during the day.

Fortunately, these symptoms do not last long and a normal sleeping pattern is usually restored as the body becomes more accustomed to its decreasing hormonal levels. To prevent sleeping problems, follow these simple tips and you can be sure that you’ll sleep like a baby throughout the night!

• Adopt a regular exercise routine. Take a warm bath or a shower before you retire for the night.
• Avoid consuming alcohol or caffeine during dinner. Drink your milk or eat some yogurt before going to sleep.
• If you don’t eat or drink dairy products, try eating a banana or other carbohydrate-rich foods before going to bed.

What Causes Hot Flashes?

Estrogen is one of the hormones that help the skin’s blood vessels to expand and contract as a reaction to changes in the temperature. During menopause, the body’s estrogen level greatly decreases. This consequently diminishes the woman’s control over her internal temperature and leads to hot flashes and profuse sweating to keep the body temperature within its normal limits.

The most common triggers of hot flashes are emotional upset, distress, stress, alcohol, caffeine, hot meals, hot drinks, hot weather, a warm room and/or a warm bed. Menopause, even with its discomforting symptoms, should not be viewed negatively. Just live a healthy lifestyle which avoids the most common triggers that aggravate these symptoms and you can be sure of a smoother transition to the next start of your life!

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When a woman has reached the end of her childbearing years, she is likely to experience a reduced interest in sex, the cessation of her menstrual cycle, and other physical symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes, and mood shifts. The physical changes she experiences at the end of her reproductive life are brought on by the same hormones which were responsible for the puberty which signaled its beginning.

And hormones, as chemicals naturally produced in the body, can be affected by the food a woman eats as she is undergoing menopause. There are foods which can aggravate the symptoms of menopause, and there are foods to be taken during menopause which can alleviate them. The foods to be taken during menopause ought to be as natural and unprocessed as possible.

Beware Of Your Supermarket

The foods to be taken during menopause include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic if available, and plenty of whole grain cereals, breads, and pastas. The best way to find the foods to be taken during menopause is to restrict your grocery shopping to the aisles on the perimeter of your supermarket, because that is where the freshest, most nutritious foods are traditionally stocked.

Supermarkets almost universally place their sugary, salty, and high-fat snack foods on their interior aisles, and any list of the best foods to be taken during menopause is going to be noticeably lacking in those sorts of foods. The sugar and chemicals in those processed foods can have a profound effect on a menopausal woman’s emotional state, and heighten her uncomfortable physical symptoms as well.

Water, Water, Water

Another of the foods to be taken during menopause is water. Even though water is the chief ingredient of all vegetables and fruits, menopausal women will benefit greatly from consuming six to eight glasses of water throughout the day. By making water your beverage of choice at meal times, you will have no difficulty meeting the rest of your quota during the rest of the day.

Every woman who lives long enough will experience menopause. But those women who are prepared can, to a great extent, control the quality of their menopausal years. If you make an effort to eat mostly those foods to be taken during menopause, you will both reduce the severity of your menopausal symptoms and improve your overall health as well. While specific foods to be taken during menopause may differ depending on which expert is making recommendations, all of them will encourage you to eat fresh, vitamin and mineral rich fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of clean water.
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The leading cause of weight gain for most women is stress. Yes, some women tend to lose weight when they are stressed because they do not eat, but a majority of women find that they gain weight when stressed, even if they do not eat more than usual. Your body reacts to these other symptoms by adding weight because it believes you need the fat stores.  Other reasons for weight gain during menopause are depression, cravings, and being tired.

Let us look at depression during menopause and weight gain. Depression affects people in many different ways one of those ways is eating. Some women tend to eat more when they are depressed because they are substituting foods for other emotions, such as happiness. You may have experienced this during a menstrual cycle if you had a tendency to be depressive during that time. You may have found comfort in food where you could not find it elsewhere.

You can seek natural methods for alleviating your depression or speak with your doctor about certain medications if your depression is severe enough. This can help you battle menopause and weight gain.

We also mentioned cravings. Cravings are certainly one way to increase your weight during menopause. Like other times your body went through a change you felt a need for certain foods. You may over eat during these cravings or substitute chocolate for something healthier. The cure for this is to eat healthier. Most women find that when they eat a balanced diet with fruit, vegetables, and the proper amount of protein they do not crave other “bad foods” such as ice cream or chocolate.

It is important to have “diet” you will follow and if you are eating healthy chances are your body will stop having these cravings. When you are tired or fatigued, you do not want to eat properly. You feel it is easier to eat out rather than to cook a proper meal so you begin to experience the effect of salt and unhealthy foods, which are a direct link to weight gain especially during menopause.

Remember, you will feel less tired if you treat your menopause symptoms and eat correctly. Menopause and weight gain are two things that are related, but you can fight the causes of weight gain during menopause by treating the symptoms you are affected with. Speak with a doctor to help you find a proper diet.
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Aside from hot flashes, vaginal dryness is one of the most common symptoms associated with menopause. Most women aged 50 and beyond reported experiencing vaginal dryness and soreness during intercourse. This is due to the eventual thinning and drying of the vaginal walls as a result of a reduction in the estrogen level in the body of most menopausal women.

Other than the decreased estrogen levels, there are other changes that happen in a woman’s body during menopause that further complicate things. A menopausal woman’s cervix produces a significantly reduced amount of mucous, hence providing less natural lubrication. As if these changes are not yet enough, the entrance to a menopausal woman’s vagina also becomes smaller making intercourse quite an upsetting affair!

However, the flame of romance does not need to wane as you reach your menopausal years. Here are some suggestions that may help you and your partner live a more fulfilling love life ahead of you! Use lubricants - You may want to try unscented creams or vegetable oils to help you handle vaginal dryness.  However, do not use these if your partner is using a condom since it may cause the condom to break. For women whose partners are using condoms, use water-soluble jellies or inserts instead.

Seek relief by using estrogen - If you find that lubricants are not especially helpful in dealing with your problem, talk to your doctor about using estrogen. He or she can discuss with you the pros and cons of using this hormone to help you make an informed decision whether you want to use it or not. Estrogen therapy is available in many different forms. If you decide to go on with your estrogen therapy, you can choose whether you want to take the hormone in the form of pills, wear an estrogen patch or use an estrogen vaginal cream instead. Estrogen provides relief from vaginal dryness by increasing lubrication and thickening the vaginal lining. These actions ultimately reduce frictional pain and discomfort.

Testosterone may also be helpful. Aside from estrogen, your physician may prescribe you to use creams containing 1% to 2% testosterone. These creams work by increasing your sex drive. However, these are not designed to be used as lubricants. So do not apply them right before sexual intercourse.

Practice Kegel exercises - Kegel exercises were primarily designed to help prevent urinary incontinence but it also found its use in making a significant improvement in the sex life of menopausal women. These exercises can be performed discreetly under any situation at any time during the day.

If you ever encounter difficulty in finding which muscles to use during the exercises, you can use a device called Femina cones – a set of 5 tampon-shaped vaginal cones of increasing weights. This will definitely make it much easier for you!

And finally, incorporate more loving touch in your life. Hopefully, you will find that midlife definitely has its own rewards despite all the discomforts that it may bring!
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These can include a loss of purpose in life, feelings of sadness that the productive part of life is over, leading to a sense of depression. Menstruation may also stop suddenly with no change in the cycle. Sometimes the cycle becomes irregular and periods become less heavy and frequent. At other times periods can occur more often or follow the usual cycle but with some periods missing altogether. The average time for the length of the menopause is between two and three years although this can vary.

There are cases where women have experienced menopause in their mid-thirties which is relatively rare. Symptoms caused by the lack of estrogen vary tremendously. This can result in hot flushes, night sweats and a frequent need to pass urine. Some people suffer from extreme mood swings, anxiety and insomnia which can affect the whole family. Stress can exacerbate the symptoms which is why mothers find themselves shouting and screaming at their husbands and children due to mood swings becoming ever more volatile.

Another result of the menopause is the loss of bone mass which can cause osteoporosis, manifested in later life by fractures of the wrists, hips and spine. However the outlook isn’t all bad. Lots of women feel fitter, more vigorous after the menopause and relish the relief from the inconvenience of the monthly periods. Some women exhibit very few symptoms apart from occasional night sweats.

For those women who suffer excessively, it is worth considering the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The use of HRT is still very controversial and some women are totally opposed to its use under any circumstances. Used properly, HRT can provide dramatic relief for women who find symptoms of the menopause almost intolerable. One of HRT’s greatest benefits lies in the fact that it reduces the risks associated with osteoporosis such as fractures of brittle bones in postmenopausal women.

Hip fractures can be particularly dangerous in older women and while not wanting to sound alarmist, can result in disability and even death. Consequently, HRT can, at times, be deemed life-saving. There are, of course, disadvantages with the use of HRT and these need to be carefully weighed against the advantages. Only after considering all the pros and cons can a woman make an informed decision concerning the use of HRT. Some studies show there is an increased risk of heart disease and strokes connected with HRT while other studies claim that HRT actually reduces these risks.

One well-understood point is that HRT isn’t suitable for women with a history, or family history, of breast cancer or cancer of the uterus. Before taking HRT, all women need to discuss the matter thoroughly with their doctor and undergo a complete medical examination. Once a doctor has recommended HRT, women should have regular medical check-ups.

If a woman notices any unusual symptoms since beginning HRT such as headaches, pains in the back of the leg, dizziness etc. she should inform her doctor immediately. He will then decide whether to continue or stop the therapy. Alternative treatments are available including acupuncture, homoeopathy, aromatherapy and certain herbal medicines. Therefore, if HRT is found to be unsuitable, all is not lost. There are several avenues to be explored in the search for relief from debilitating menopausal symptoms.
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Once you start experiencing menopause you will have a myriad of symptoms to battle with natural or medicinal remedies. It is important that you seek a physician’s advice regarding treatment so that you can feel as comfortable as possible.

Anxiety and Depression 

Menopause anxiety and depression are two symptoms you may have during the change. Menopause anxiety and depression are caused by a hormone imbalance. You feel as if you are on an emotional rollercoaster. You feel tense, sad, angry, a loss of involvement, and fatigued. You may also experience insomnia related to menopause anxiety and depression.

The physical symptoms you may feel during menopause anxiety and depression are headaches, tense shoulders, neck pain, and chest pain. These symptoms are perhaps easier to deal with than other physiological affects your body has.

Natural Treatments 

Natural treatments for physical pain can include lavender bath oils, lavender soap, and lavender spray for your rooms, massages, and meditation. Yoga has been found to help relax tensed muscles enough that you can deal with the other affects of menopause anxiety and depression. Another herb you may take is St. John’s Wart. St. John’s Wart has been found to be extremely helpful treating menopause anxiety and depression. You will need to follow the label and speak with a physician before taking this herb to make sure you do not overdose and cause other physiological affects. If you find a natural remedy is not helping to relieve your menopause, anxiety or depression you might decide to try medications.

Menopause Medications

There are medications for helping anxiety or depression. You have probably heard of Zoloft or Prozac. These are just two medications that are used to treat the above problems and help when you are experiencing menopause. It is extremely important that you seek a physician’s advice. You should only take these drugs if you find your life is severely affected by menopause anxiety and depression. You doctor can help you determine this.

Sometimes it is only necessary to take these medications for a few weeks before reverting back to herbal remedies or you may need to take these medications for the duration of the menopause depending on the severity of your symptoms. The result you and your doctor are aiming for is relief, so be open to getting your body balanced.

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A “menopause vitamin” is pretty simple to uncover. Whether or not a vitamin enrichment will lighten any menopause symptoms is open to question, however calcium supplementation is vital to avert osteoporosis, but calcium supplementation single-handedly is not sufficient to reduce the symptoms of menopause.

Women have to ensure that their vitamins include plenty amounts of D, C and magnesium in order for the body to proficiently soak up the calcium. Standard programs for keeping fit also enhances the body’s ability to use and absorb calcium. There is proof that estrogen also affects the body’s capability to receive calcium. Although the health threat of Hormone Replacement Therapy overshadow the gain, it has been shown to augment bone concentration in women who employ it. A ordinary artifact (menopause remedy) enclosing an estrogen-like plant section may offer the benefit of HRT, without the threat. When deciding a menopause vitamin or dietary supplement, search for soy or red clover isoflavones or phytoestrogens. These are the plant estrogens that we see the most about.

Vitamin E improvements ought to also diminish skin discomfort and dryness. At least one study has demonstrated that red clover expands skin spring and diminishes dryness.

Hormone managing creams are not thought to cause the health hazards connected with oral hormones. These systemic hormonal supplements can be used to ease vaginal dryness. A botanical called tribulus terrestris is alleged to augment vaginal emanations, hormone making and perfect sexual libido. It has been used by athletes and body builders as an different choice to artificial steroids and supposedly enriches vigor and staying power, although studies relating to this theme is varied.

Under the banner, “natural product menopause”, you will certainly witness black cohosh. This plant has numerous years of past utilization. Current clinical studies has demonstrated that it efficiently alleviates menopausal hot flashes and night sweats in most women. Scientific estimates have not been able to justify the success of black cohosh. It does not include a phytoestrogen and has no outcome on estrogen receptive breast cancer cell lines in the laboratory. It was most often regarded as an substitute for women who, as a consequence of breast or other types of cancer, could not take estrogen reserve therapy. Now it is being optioned more often for all women, before resorting to hormone exchange therapy.

Other botanicals and plant components can considerably condense mood swings, enhance mood, quality of sleep and even police appetite. A compound known as 5-hydroxytryptophan or 5-HTP for short is a little harder to discover, not sold in most vitamin stores, but various women feel that it is well worth the attempt. It should not be taken in conjunction with prescription anti-depressants, since it has a comparable sway on the brain.