As a woman, you’re well aware that one day you will enter menopause. But, that day can feel far away until suddenly you’re experiencing symptoms. Now, you’re left wondering how long these symptoms will last, whether they’re normal, and — most importantly — how you can find some relief.
What is menopause?
Menopause marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. It’s typically diagnosed after you’ve gone a year without having a period. Menopause can start as early as your late 40s, but the average age is 51. Despite menopause being a natural process, the symptoms that come with it can feel anything but normal.
Common Menopause Symptoms
Symptoms of menopause — and perimenopause, the transitional stage — can vary in severity from woman to woman. They’re caused by a fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone levels in your body as your ovaries try to keep up with your normal levels of hormone production. This causes:
- Hot flashes
- Mood swings
- Sleeping problems
- Bone loss
- Problems concentrating
- Irregular periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Weight gain and slowed metabolism
- Thinning hair and dry skin
- Loss of breast fullness
3 Ways to Manage Menopause Symptoms
While about 33% of women don’t experience any menopause symptoms, for the 66% of women who do, signs of menopause can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or just plain annoying. Fortunately, there is a myriad of ways you can find relief.
1. Home Remedies
Adapting your lifestyle or trying new foods may be the key to alleviating many of your menopause symptoms. Many of these changes include:
- Eating foods rich in calcium and Vitamin D
- Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
- Eating foods high in Phytoestrogens — such as tofu and soy products
- Drinking plenty of water
- Reducing refined sugars and processed foods
- Avoiding triggers — such as caffeine and alcohol
- Exercising regularly
- Practicing meditation and yoga
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Dressing in layers
- Adding kegel exercises to your routine
- Quitting smoking
2. Medication
Hormone therapy can help replace and regulate your hormone changes and help with many symptoms of menopause. The FDA provides a comprehensive list of medications they approve for hormone therapy, but typically your options include:
- Estrogen-only medicines
- Progestin-only medicines
- Combination of estrogen and progestin medicines
- Combination of estrogen and other medicines
3. Noninvasive Procedures
While some symptoms — like hot flashes and mood swings — can be relieved with dressing in layers, drinking water, and changing your diet, other symptoms such as vaginal dryness may require acute medical procedures. Vaginal rejuvenation is a noninvasive cosmetic procedure designed to:
- Lubricate the vagina
- Tighten and return elasticity to the vagina
- Reduce urinary incontinence
- Make sexual intercourse less painful and more enjoyable
- Return the vagina’s pH balance to normal
At Nurse Practitioners of Florida, we provide the FemiLift procedure, which uses CO2 lasers to heat, tighten, and promote lubrication in the vagina. Recovery is minimal, and most women can have sexual intercourse in as little as two weeks after the procedure.
If You’re Interested in Vaginal Rejuvenation, Nurse Practitioners of Florida Can Help
At Nurse Practitioners of Florida, we have a dedicated team of certified nurse practitioners who have an unwavering commitment to providing you with care and compassion. When you call any of our locations, you will be greeted by a live person who’s ready to offer acute medical care as well as aesthetic procedures — including laser hair removal. And, above everything else, you will be treated like family.
If you need assistance, call us or fill out our online contact form.