54°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

Better ways to manage menopause

Women bond over menopause with jokes and some laughs, but the truth is that it is often a challenging time. While menopause itself is not a disease, but a natural stage of aging, the effects of hormonal changes that accompany it are incredibly complex, affecting everything from your neurological system to your bones.

The shift in hormonal levels can affect the body so profoundly that it may change the way you look and feel. For example, weight gain becomes increasingly difficult to control, and diets and exercise routines lose their effectiveness.

Some women are surprised to know that perimenopause - the transitional period leading to menopause and during which symptoms start to appear - can begin early - even in their 30s.

But whether the onset of perimenopausal symptoms comes earlier than you expected or not, it's important to remember: menopause means you need to balance your hormones.

Until very recently, women endured through menopause with limited relief available to them. However, as medical technology and knowledge continues to evolve and create new solutions, more ways to manage menopause are emerging.

For women who want to deal with menopause with a minimum of side effects, keep these ideas in mind.

* Symptom treatment - Many women experience symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, frequent headaches and yes, decreased libido. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has been shown to alleviate these symptoms, but because some studies link it to cancer, many women are hesitant to use it. However there's now at least one safe alternative that provides comparable results. A clinical study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine finds that a natural compound called Amberen relieves most menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms without any side effects. Many women find that Amberen, which has an astounding 92.6 percent satisfaction rate, is an especially attractive option, because it offers hormone rejuvenation instead of hormone replacement. The makers of Amberen, California-based Lunada Biomedical, also provides a service called NurseAid, which gives women free access to licensed nurses with expertise in menopause health issues.

* Foods - The changes your body goes through at menopause mean that you should make an extra effort to ensure that you're getting the nutrition your body needs. The Mayo Clinic advises that women should aim to include 1200 to 1500 milligrams of calcium in their daily diet, and other important nutrients to keep an eye on include iron, fiber and vitamin D. Keeping your diet high in plant-based foods is also a good idea - eat your vegetables and fruits and look for ways to incorporate soy products (soy milk, tofu). Some foods and beverages - like spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol - are thought to trigger hot flashes, and are best avoided.

* Exercise -Studies show that regular exercise can be part of the solution to decrease symptoms of menopause. Weight loss can be harder to achieve during menopause because the body reprograms itself to store more fat, from which it can produce estrogen, to compensate for hormonal imbalance. Consulting with your doctor to optimize your exercise program and using products like Amberen to balance hormones can help you stay slim and active through your menopause.

* Your emotional health - Because of hormonal fluctuations, menopause can be a highly stressful time. It's important that your mental wellbeing is a part of a complete plan for managing menopause. Whether it's seeing a counselor or finding ways to relax through yoga and meditation, taking care of your emotions and managing stress can make menopause easier to deal with.

Menopause is something that all women will experience, so knowing how to deal with it is important. And since negative side effects are common among some care options, using smarter solutions, like diet, exercise and an all-natural menopause treatment like Amberen, can make the process much more comfortable.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Emmy, Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. dies at 87

He won his Oscar for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

Nevadans support diaper tax exemption, state lottery

A public opinion poll on how Nevadans are feeling about several ballot questions found majority support a tax exemption for diapers, open primaries and ranked choice voting, and enshrining abortion rights into the constitution.

 
Sam Bankman-Fried, fallen crypto mogul, gets 25 years in prison

Prosecutors said he had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry.