The official beginning of menopause occurs one full year after a woman stops ovulating. It is typical, however, for symptoms of menopause to manifest in the perimenopausal period, which lasts 3-5 years before the onset of menopause. Though these symptoms are common, they are rarely discussed openly. Treatments are available that will alleviate symptoms, and it is possible to reduce discomfort without prescription drugs.
Changing estrogen levels are the root cause of many of the symptoms of menopause. Women will commonly experience weight gain in the abdomen, trouble sleeping, mood swings and hot flashes. If is also normal to experience some hair loss, vaginal dryness and continued, but irregular periods. Many of these symptoms will be present for years for before ovulation ends. Though this discomfort is normal, many of those experiences these symptoms are unaware of the ways to find relief.
Hormone replacement therapy is one of the most common medical solutions to curbing the symptoms of menopause. Different and widely varied levels of estrogen in the blood cause the majority of menopause symptoms, and replacement therapy will control and reduce these changes to provide relief. Estrogen supplements should always be overseen by a physician and will often require a prescription. The side effects are generally mild, but women who are smokers are at an increased risk. Often calcium supplements are also recommended to stave bone loss in conjunction with estrogen treatments.
Many doctors will also prescribe antidepressant medication to alleviate menopause symptoms. These are prescribed in lower doses than they would be for psychiatric indications, so the side effects and risks associated with these medications will be reduced. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are most commonly used, and have been shown to aid in reducing hot flashes in menopausal women.
If you would prefer to avoid prescription drugs, there are a number of behavior modifications that can provide symptom relief. Regular exercise is a great way to release dopamine, which enhances mood and can preempt the weight gain that often accompanies menopause. Many doctors recommend taking up yoga as a low impact way to increase flexibility and muscle mass. Increased attention to good nutrition will not only help with weight loss, but can also have an impact in reducing hot flashes. Be aware that the metabolism will slow after menopause, so it is necessary to adjust your daily calorie intake. In addition, many women will become more sensitive to caffeine, and cutting down can result in less troubled sleep.
Schedule doctor’s visits at least once a year throughout menopause and perimenopause. Bring a list of your symptoms and how severe they are with you to each visit. You and your doctor can work to find any environments or foods that are triggering these symptoms and you can then make adjustments accordingly. Know that it is common for women to develop food allergies or feelings of fatigue during menopause, and feel free to discuss these things with your doctor as well. One of the most important factors in successfully dealing with the symptoms of menopause is finding a doctor with whom you feel comfortable discussing these changes.
Menopause has long been treated as a disease which needs to be cured. The main symptom of this ‘illness’ was the drop of estrogen levels in women; doctors believed that they could ‘cure’ this through hormone replacement therapy. By using the hormone replacement therapy to keep estrogen levels at the supposed ‘normal’ level, doctors believed that women could be spared the wrinkles, depression, and hot flashes that were the more obvious symptoms of this disease that preys on women as they age. As you can well imagine, being told by doctors that they needed to ‘cure’ themselves of menopause through the use of hormone replacement therapy did nothing to assure women that the aging process is completely natural; instead, they learned and passed on to their daughters that they had to fight against the entire aging process and remain young as long as possible — preferably forever. Can you imagine the difference that would have been made had these doctors, instead of telling the women they had an illness, said instead that the loss of estrogen was part of the aging process and there was nothing to worry about? I wonder how our culture, so obsessed with youth, would have been different had we generations ago been taught to accept menopause as something to not be feared but embraced. For additional information about menopause treatments, symptoms, and natural ways of dealing with hot flashes be sure to visit 
