CHANGE IS COMING

Feeling the heat? Suffering through mood swings? You could be approaching menopause. But fear not: You’re not alone, and there are solutions.

BY KYM KLASS

Emily Spear believes she’s a testament to other women in how important it is to make sure their hormones are balanced during menopause so they can live their best lives. Their best lives through the hot flashes. The emotions. The night sweats. A decreased sex drive. Treatments. Supplements. Creams. And this can go on for years, from perimenopause to menopause.

“I think all women, when they begin to feel changes in their body, should get a thorough test of their hormones to see where they stand, and then begin improving them with some natural solutions that won’t cause side effects down the road,” said Spear, who lives in Lowndesboro.

Using age 50 as a proxy for menopause, about 25 million women pass through menopause each year, and it is estimated that in 1990, there were 467 million post-menopausal women in the world, with an average age of about 60 years, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Perimenopause means “around menopause” and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.

Women start perimenopause at different ages, possibly noticing signs such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in their 40sor as early as mid-30s, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The level of estrogen—the main female hormone —in your body rises and falls unevenly during perimenopause. Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having menstrual cycles in which your ovaries don’t release an egg (ovulate). You may also experience menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems and vaginal dryness.

Once a woman has gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, they’ve officially reached menopause, which can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.

Menopause is a natural biological process. But the physical signs, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health. There are many effective treatments available, from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy.

“What we hear weekly is that ‘my husband sent me in here,’” said Dr. Greg Waller, founder of OB-GYN Associates of Montgomery. “Then when we talk to them, they are in the throes of hot flashes. Their libido is gone because their testosterone is really low. Symptoms are pretty strong for about 18 months, but we have many patients who have symptoms for many years. But the most common (and intense) symptoms are the beginning of hot flashes—then the periods start to get closer together and then they skip, until they finally stop.” Fran Rutledge, a nurse practitioner in Waller’s office, said she usually tells her patients that if they miss three cycles, to follow up with her.

Spear got off the birth control pill when she was 51 years old. At that point, she began to feel what she describes as “warm flashes”—not full night sweats, but moments when she was warm compared to someone near her. “I didn’t have big mood swings but looking back now, I can tell I was more emotional at that time in my life than the way I feel controlled with it at this point,” she said.

Treatments, according to the Mayo Clinic, can include hormone therapy (estrogen therapy is the most effective treatment option for relieving menopausal hot flashes); vaginal estrogen; low-dose antidepressants; medications to prevent or treat osteoporosis; and also pills to help treat high blood pressure and seizures (which could provide relief from hot flashes). Over-thecounter medications for symptom relief should be used upon the recommendation of a physician, Waller said. Each person, he added, should be individually assessed for specific risk factors.

In these stages of life, Waller said women should be more cognizant of what they’re eating to help avoid weight gain with Rutledge adding she’s seen menopausal women who haven’t gained weight, but that “it takes a little more exercise and consistency with a diet.”