Menopause Health Center

Menopause is a phase in a woman's life that challenges her physically and emotionally. Many women deal with menopause without any medical treatments, whereas some women with severe symptoms require therapies.

If you don’t want to get pregnant, you should be taking birth control up until menopause. But the age range for reaching menopause is wide, so there’s no one age that’s right for all women to stop birth control.

Research has found that there's no difference in weight gain between women taking HRT and those not taking it. HRT can improve the appearance of the skin, contributing to a younger look.

Menopause is defined as when you haven't had your periods for 12 consecutive months. You should accept the fact that it is normal to experience changes in sexual desire after menopause.

Hot flashes (or flushing) is the most common symptom experienced by a woman prior to and during the early stages of menopause, and often is described as the feeling of warmth that spreads over the body, often starting at the head accompanied by sweating. Symptoms of hot flashes include flushing, excessive sweating, anxiety, and palpitations.

You’ll know that your night sweats are serious if your night sweats occur regularly, keep you from sleeping well, and come along with a fever, or if you experience weight loss for no apparent reason.

HRT can be taken continuously or in cycles. The FDA recommends hormonal replacement therapy should be used at the lowest dose, and for the shortest duration, necessary.

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop, also called the "change of life." Menopause symptoms and signs include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular vaginal bleeding, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, weight gain, and emotional symptoms such as mood swings. Treatment of menopausal symptoms varies and should be discussed with your physician.

Hot flashes are a common symptom in women during menopause. They also in women can cause a lot of discomfort. Especially at night, hot flashes are a common problem during and after menopause. Learn the causes of hot flashes and how to stop hot flashes with natural remedies and other treatments.

Perimenopause is the time in a woman's life when she is approaching menopause. During this time a woman starts to develop symptoms of declining estrogen levels that may include mood swings, painful sex, night sweats, hot flashes, and weight gain. Every adult woman eventually will experience perimenopause.

Premature menopause is when menopause occurs in a woman before the age of 40. Causes of premature menopause include premature ovarian failure, treatments for cancer and other conditions, surgical removal of the ovaries, chronic diseases of the pituitary or thyroid gland, or psychiatric disorders. Treatment is directed at menopausal symptoms.

Menopause is often associated with a change in sexual functioning. Loss of estrogen, bladder control issues, anxiety, stress, health concerns, medications, and sleep disturbances often result in a decrease in libido. Though there are currently no good drugs for treating sexual problems in women, there are ways to increase intimacy with a partner and treat vaginal dryness.

Vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy occurs in women during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. With vaginal atrophy, the lining of the vaginal wall becomes thinner, drier, less elastic, and light pink to bluish in color. Symptoms of vaginal atrophy include vaginal dryness, itching, irritation, and/or pain during intercourse. Treatment options for vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy include hormone treatment and over-the-counter vaginal lubricating and moisturizing products.

Menopause is the end of the reproductive era of a woman's life that is characterized by drastic changes in her emotional and physical aspects. Studies have identified around 40 signs and symptoms of menopause, but not every woman gets all of them.

People in the US and Europe have used the herb black cohosh since ancient times for a variety of illnesses ranging from cough and cold to infertility. Side effects of black cohosh may include gastrointestinal upset, skin rash, breast pain, brain enlargement, infection, vaginal bleeding/spotting, joint or muscle pain and infection.

The menstrual cycle is a series of hormone-regulated changes that a woman's body goes through to get it ready for a possible pregnancy. Women usually stop menstruating or attain menopause in their 40 or 50s, the average age being 50 years old.

Adenomyosis is often treated conservatively with medications or hormonal contraceptives. In some cases, surgery may be needed. Check out the center below for more medical references on menopause, including multimedia (slideshows, images, and quizzes), related disease conditions, treatment and diagnosis, medications, and prevention or wellness.

Bleeding after menopause is usually harmless but may be a sign of an underlying condition. Learn about what causes postmenopausal bleeding and how it can be treated. Check out the center below for more medical references on menopause, including multimedia (slideshows, images, and quizzes), related diseases, treatment, diagnosis, medications, and prevention or wellness.

Whether joint pain from menopause will go away depends on whether the joint pain is purely due to hormonal changes seen in menopause or due to other associated factors.