While menopause is entirely natural, its effects can take a physical and emotional toll. When menopause begins, your hormone levels drop, causing significant changes to different aspects of your physical and mental health.
Here, we take a look at four key areas affected by menopause and explain how working with the providers at The Endocrine Center can help you regain balance.
When your estrogen levels decline, you may experience any of several physical symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, which can interrupt your sleep or cause insomnia; vaginal dryness, leading to painful sex; and weight gain, especially around the stomach, as your body’s energy conservation changes post-menopause.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can ease your physical symptoms because it replenishes the estrogen and progesterone that your body stops producing naturally. You can choose HRT in several delivery forms, such as patches, creams, implants, or pills.
If HRT isn’t a good fit for you, we can recommend nonhormonal options, such as vaginal lubricants and prescription medications.
Menopause can also alter your emotions and thoughts. Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or even mild depression can suddenly become your new “normal.” Brain fog and short-term memory issues also plague some women during this phase.
Antidepressants and nonhormonal medications may improve your mood. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also an effective way to manage menopause-related anxiety or depression. Combined with HRT, these approaches can stabilize your emotions and reduce mental strain.
One of the lesser-known changes during menopause is how it impacts your skeletal system. Estrogen helps you maintain bone density, and when your levels run low, you’re at risk for osteoporosis and fractures.
Bone loss speeds up during menopause — about 20% of it occurs during this life stage, leading to osteoporosis for one in 10 women in their 60s and beyond.
Our specialists at The Endocrine Center offer bone density tests to evaluate your bone health during menopause. We may recommend eating more calcium-rich foods, adding weight-bearing exercises to your workout routine, and using medications like bisphosphonates. HRT can also help prevent bone loss for many women.
Estrogen does more than regulate your menstrual cycles — it protects your cardiovascular system by maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and promoting blood flow. With lower estrogen levels, your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol increases.
Keeping your heart healthy during menopause requires eating healthier, exercising more, and losing weight if necessary. We might also recommend HRT to counter your decline in estrogen and decrease your cardiovascular risks.
Don’t let menopause rob you of your overall health. Get answers and personalized treatments that can help you feel like yourself again by calling The Endocrine Center or requesting an appointment online today.
