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Is there a blood test that will tell me if I'm in menopause? As you go into menopause your hormones go up and down, in and out of the menopause range. We can test your hormones and if they come back in the menopause range, we will know for sure that you are in menopause. If they come back in the normal range, we don’t know if you are going into menopause or not. I’m 45 and my periods are becoming irregular and sometimes heavy. Am I in menopause? Maybe. There are some other causes of irregular bleeding, including thyroid disease and certain diseases of the uterus. Your doctor will check these possibilities. I’m having a lot of hot flushes and I’m pretty miserable, but I don’t want to take hormones. Is there anything else I can do? The first thing to do is to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Avoiding caffeine can be very helpful in reducing hot flashes. Dress in layers so you can take something off when the hot flashes hit. Are there any herbal remedies available for hot flashes? Many herbal remedies have been studied for menopause. Black cohosh has been well studied and can be very helpful. It comes as the brand name Remifemin, and is often found in other menopausal formulations. You need to take it for a month in order to notice a difference. It is felt to be safe to take it for 6 months, possibly more. You can also try red clover, which is found in Promensil, as well as other herbal remedies. Many women find this helpful. Soy products have been studied extensively, and have not been found to be very helpful, although some women will benefit. I’ve tried herbal remedies and they’re not helping. What else is available? Many antidepressants have been found to decrease hot flashes. Paxil has been very well studied and can reduce hot flashes by 50%, meaning experiencing half as many hot flashes, and those that happen are half as intense. We assume that most other antidepressants in the same class will have the same effect. It depends on your individual history, and there is no simple answer for everyone. You should only take hormones if there is nothing else that will control your hot flashes and night sweats. If you have heart disease or are at risk for heart disease, you should not take hormones. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, you should be cautious about taking hormones. You should discuss this with your physician. I’m 55 and have been in menopause for several years. Should I be worried about osteoporosis? Every woman should think about osteoporosis, because it easy to prevent but harder to treat. Even before menopause you should take calcium, 1000mg per day. As you enter menopause you should increase this to 1500mg per day. This can help prevent bone loss. You should also do some weight-bearing exercise such as walking or aerobics. Your doctor will discuss with you when you should have a bone density scan done, usually at age 65, but earlier if you went into early menopause or are taking certain medications that put you at higher risk. I’m in menopause and the hot flashes have stopped, but I have vaginal dryness, which really bothers me during sex. Is there anything I can do? Your doctor can prescribe an estrogen cream that you will use several times per week to increase the flexibility of your vagina. Vaginal estrogen is very low dose and very little of it is absorbed into your blood stream, so it does not have the same risks as taking hormone pills. |
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Dundalk ● Baltimore ● Catonsville | Tel. 410-633-6300 | info@hoffmanobgyn.com |
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