Facing Menopause and Its Symptoms

As you approach menopause (or are propelled into it) your most immediate concern is usually the "in-your-face" symptoms: hot flashes, weight gain, vaginal dryness, mood swings, loss of energy, and skin and hair changes. Long-range issues include osteoporosis, heart and vascular disease, and how to live a full and reasonably happy life.

You may have only a few menopausal symptoms, or you may have every one in the book. Under normal circumstances, you should not feel rushed to make decisions to cope with these symptoms. But if they began because of a medical, surgical, or "cold turkey" menopause, and if a particular symptom stands in the way of your normal activities, you may be eager to get help.

The treatment recommendations that follow include a range of suggestions covering lifestyle choices, complementary therapy, and conventional medicine. Most effective therapies have some side effects, but potential benefits should clearly outweigh them.

Start with the simplest, mildest remedy with the broadest benefit and the least number of side effects, then gradually move on to stronger forms or amounts of treatment. Careful exercise is an ideal example of therapeutic measures with minimal drawbacks: It strengthens your bones and heart, controls weight, lessens hot flashes, improves your sleep, boosts your energy, revs up your sex drive, and makes your skin glow—without side effects.

At the potent end of the treatment spectrum is estrogen therapy, recommended almost automatically by many physicians for most significant menopausal symptoms in women without breast cancer. If you have had breast cancer, you may be just as automatically told you cannot have estrogen therapy. Investigate. Find a doctor who thinks through your case and looks at you as an individual.

Few doctors want to take the risk, since estrogen stimulates breast cell growth. If you are uncomfortable and are desperately seeking a solution, look to creative solutions and the full range of therapies that might serve you.