Insomnia
Take a bath and/or sip relaxing teas with valerian or chamomile before bed. Make your bedroom a shrine, including blackout shades, and skip the exercise right before bed. An over-the-counter sleep aid like Tylenol PM is OK occasionally, but see your doctor if you’re dealing with perpetual insomnia.
Bone concerns
Fill your diet with bone-building foods, such as calcium-fortified orange juice, sardines, salmon, almonds, and soybeans. Supplement with 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium daily (take 600 milligrams in the morning and 600 milligrams at night) as well as 800 IU of vitamin D. “You need calcium, but if you don’t have vitamin D, you can’t absorb it,” says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, an ob-gyn and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University Medical School in New Haven, Conn. In addition, aim to do 30 to 40 minutes a day of vigorous weight-bearing exercise like walking. And, if your doctor recommends it, take an osteoporosis drug like Actonel, Boniva, Evista, or Fosamax.
Hot flashes
Keep cool by layering your outfits in breathable, heat-wicking fabrics and sleeping on bedding that wicks away moisture. Consider adding soy to your diet, too. “Some people find that eating tofu and edamame or drinking soy milk keeps the hot flashes away,” Dr. Minkin says. Effexor, an antidepressant, may also help. “I start patients on a low dose of 25 milligrams,” says Jennifer Wu, MD, an ob-gyn at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “We prescribe this to help control the vasomotor center in the brain that controls body temperature and perception of heat and cold.” Supplement with black cohosh (20 milligrams, twice a day), but make sure to purchase black cohosh that actually contains the active ingredient. “You want to be sure that you’re purchasing a regulated product with this active ingredient,” Dr. Minkin says. Some experts recommend the brand Remifemin.
Mood swings
Exercise for 20 minutes a day, at least three times a week, to boost your energy and feel less irritable. Eating small meals and a number of protein-rich snacks throughout the day can also help you cope with emotional ups and downs. Yoga, meditation, massage, and acupuncture can also help you de-stress. Chasteberry fruit and black cohosh are herbal mood stabilizers that may help too.
Vaginal dryness
Try estrogen products that work directly to heal vaginal tissue, restore moisture, and relieve discomfort. There’s estrogen cream (Estrace, Premarin) or tablets (Vagifem) that you put directly into your vagina at bedtime, or estrogen-releasing rings (Estring) that are inserted into your vagina by you or your doctor and are replaced every three months. If you’re concerned about products with estrogen, pick up an estrogen-free vaginal moisturizer, such as Replens or K-Y Liquibeads. Skip scented soaps, bubble baths, and douches to avoid further discomfort.
Comments (5)
Interesting about the Effexor treatment — I never knew that’s why anti-depressants were prescribed off-label for menopause. As far as vaginal dryness goes, an article I read from womentowomen.com lists many holistic methods for relief including vitamin E suppositories and confronting negative emotions and stress reduction. Worth a read — it also links to a ton of helpful articles about hot flashes, etc. http://www.womentowomen.com/menopause/vaginaldryness.aspx
Majority of women enters into perimenopausal period around age of 35 , many of them even earlier. Peri-menopausal period is characterised with the following changes:
• various hormonal imbalances of sexual hormones – which change from day to day (progesterone, estrogens, FSH, LH, testosterone) are changing their levels constantly
• there is major tendency to FSH and LH levels raising up, but hormonal tests are very unreliable due to the constant change of hormonal levels. BTW, what is normal for one person, it does not to be normal for the other.
• FSH and LH hormones, which are directly connected with producing the eggs, very often raise up, because body wants to burn the rest of the eggs as soon as possible, because there is not enough estrogens, progesterone and testosterone to keep the balance and support fertility. Excess of FSH and LH can create extreme desire for having the child, even if this desire is not realistic.
• various hormonal imbalance of all other hormones as hormones of thyroid, pancreas, pituitary, adrenal glands etc. Level of such hormones are also in constant change – they can change several times per day.
• life energy drops down quickly – due to the constant hormonal change, because body is using all resources of minerals, vitamins, tissue salts etc. on extremely intensive way, while not being balanced with hormones.
• mood changes are so typical in that period – ups and downs in feelings, blues and waltz are exchanging very often
• problems with weight,
• shape of the body might start to change
• various problems with skin can become very obvious – skin very quickly shows first signs of aging and hormonal changes
• sexual hormones support our immune system as well – so many women develop various chronic illnesses in that period
• libido starts to change – extreme ups and downs might become significant
• nervousness, anxiety, sleeplessness
• fatigue and tiredness
• lack of focus, lack of concentration
• lack of wish to connect with other people
• animosity towards opposite gender
I’m definately peri with bleeding and spotting most days of the month. Is is normal to cramp and have pain alot of the time also?
The bone loss issue is a big concern for women 40 and older, especially during menopause where women can loose up to 5% bone loss per year. I read a recent article called Bone Loss is a Big Deal – The Bone Ultimatum that describes how women in menopause can prevent bone loss and actually grow bone.
I had a parital hysterectomy last May. I still have my ovaries. I still get pms monthly or so I think that is what it is or could it be Perimenopause. For the past 3 weeks, I have been waking up between the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. Is this normal in perimenopause? I am 45 years old.