Menopause is a natural stage of life when a woman's menstrual periods stop permanently and she can no longer get pregnant. The menopause transition starts with varying menstrual cycle lengths and ends when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. Menopause symptoms arise from this drop in estrogen and other hormones. On average, women go through menopause around age 51, but it can happen anytime between the late 30s and late 50s.
While menopause means the end of fertility, it's the start of a new phase of life. The years leading up to menopause (perimenopause) and the first year after a woman's final period require significant physical and emotional adjustments. Fortunately, the right treatment plan can help ease this transition.
Key points:
The onset of menopause can produce an array of uncomfortable symptoms. These stem from the ending of the ovaries' reproductive capability, causing a marked drop in estrogen production and irregular release of other hormones like progesterone. Common menopausal symptoms include:
Vasomotor: hot flashes, night sweats, chills, vaginal dryness
Physical: fatigue, sleeping problems, weight gain, slowed metabolism
Emotional: mood changes like irritability, anxiety, depression
Sexual health: decreased libido, painful intercourse
Other issues: hair loss/thinning, bone loss, heart disease risk, urinary symptoms
These can impair quality of life and require treatment. Beyond just relieving symptoms, managing menopause properly protects long-term health. Estrogen plays many key roles, so dropping levels increase risks for osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Catching and addressing hormone changes early allows for better health outcomes.
Since menopause symptoms can mimic other conditions, getting an accurate diagnosis is key. This involves tracking menstrual cycles and using blood tests to measure hormone levels.
The main diagnostic criteria are:
Key tests include:
Tracking periods and timeline of symptoms provides context for interpreting lab results. Working with an experienced menopause specialist ensures proper testing and diagnosis.
Getting appropriate treatment provides immense benefits for managing symptoms and long-term health:
Relief: - Reduces hot flashes, night sweats by up to 90% - Lessens vaginal atrophy for improved sexual health - Stabilizes moods and eases anxiety/depression - Allows better sleep
Protects health - Lowers heart disease risk by 50% - Reduces diabetes risk - Slows bone loss to prevent osteoporosis - May improve cognitive function and reduce dementia odds
Quality of life - Improves energy levels - Restores sex drive and satisfaction - Supports emotional well-being - Allows focusing on meaningful goals vs unpleasant symptoms
Every woman experiences menopause differently, so cookie-cutter protocols don't work. We take a personalized approach based on your symptoms, health profile, lifestyle and preferences to create an optimal treatment plan.
After confirming menopause through testing, we help analyze your full symptom profile. Then we discuss treatment options - pros, cons, side effects - to decide the best choice for you. Hormone therapy options include:
We also provide nutritional advice and recommend supplements as needed. Follow-ups monitor progress to adjust meds ensuring treatment works safely and effectively. Our goal is relieving symptoms to help you feel your best.
You deserve compassionate care from a menopause specialist who understands this transition and how to optimize outcomes. Our clinic offers:
Expertise - Our practitioners have 10 years focused solely on menopause treatment. We stay current on the latest research and best practices.
Time - We never rush, allowing enough time to have in-depth conversations crucial for proper therapy.
Care coordination - We work closely with your gynecologist, primary care doctor, and other specialists to ensure coordinated care.
Long-term health focus - Our goal is not only resolving symptoms but promoting optimal long-term health during the postmenopausal years.
Emotional support - This transition can be emotionally difficult. We provide caring support so you don't have to go through it alone.
Convenience - Early morning and evening appointments available to accommodate busy schedules.
Systemic estrogen therapy - pills, patches, gels - remains the gold standard for relieving hot flashes and night sweats. Estrogen also prevents bone loss, vaginal atrophy, and heart disease.
Key considerations:
Treatment protocol:
Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as hormones made in the body. Derived from plant sources, they are available in multiple delivery methods.
Advantages:
New Beginnings HRT Clinic doctors can determine if bioidentical regimens are right for you based on your menopause symptoms and health status. We offer both standard doses or specialized compounding.
Testosterone therapy is not approved for traditional hormone therapy. But emerging research shows that maintaining testosterone levels in women provides unique benefits:
After menopause testosterone levels can drop up to 50%. Careful testosterone replacement can relieve low T symptoms. Discuss with your New Beginnings HRT Clinic doctor if adding testosterone fits your treatment goals.
Vaginal dryness and painful sex due to thinning tissues affect half of postmenopausal women. Ultra-low dose vaginal estrogen reverses these issues.
Benefits
We offer both prescription and over-the-counter preparations to relieve urogenital atrophy and discomfort.
Adjusting one’s lifestyle provides significant benefits during perimenopause and beyond. Simple changes to diet, activity levels, and stress reduction promote hormone balance and overall wellbeing.
Healthy diet - Eat plenty of plants and healthy fats while avoiding excess sugar and refined carbs. Drink less alcohol. Stay hydrated. Keep weight stable.
Regular exercise helps improve cardiovascular health, circulation, blood sugar regulation, moods, energy levels, and weight management.
Stress relief through sufficient sleep, relaxation techniques, mindfulness practices, counseling support groups, or anti-anxiety meds assists emotional health.
Book a salon service – Treat yourself to a spa massage, pedicure, facial, or new hairstyle. Pampering goes a long way!
Try yoga classes – Gentle poses promote strength, flexibility, balance and mindfulness. Many studios offer special sessions for menopausal women.
Visit local attractions – Explore historical sites, arts venues, shops and parks to stay engaged with the community.
The key is finding a lifestyle rhythm that works for you – then you can focus on what matters most in this newest phase of womanhood. Our doctors provide personalized recommendations, so don’t hesitate to ask!
A surprising new menopause treatment that is gaining popularity is laser therapy. Low-level laser light therapy has been shown in some studies to help alleviate common menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes by modifying hormone levels and stimulating endorphins.
Recognizing and addressing menopause early on leads to better long-term health. Unfortunately textbooks say symptoms last just 1-5 years failing to reveal the bigger picture. Most women actually battle symptoms wreaking havoc for 7-10 years until hormones re-stabilize. Suffering needlessly jeopardizes wellbeing.
Getting proper diagnosis requires tracking cycles and symptoms for context around fluctuating labs. Without this documentation high FSH can be missed, delaying help for years. Metabolic changes silently raise disease risks so early action protects health.
Thankfully safe, effective treatments exist allowing women to reclaim their lives. Hormone therapy and lifestyle adjustments provide immense, lasting benefits. But treatment differs for each individual woman; no pre-set formulas apply to our diverse situations.
Working with a menopause specialist experienced in decoding complex symptom profiles and navigating treatment options optimizes success by ensuring the right care. We offer that insight so you get relief allowing happier, healthier years ahead.
At New Beginnings HRT Clinic we specialize in menopause management with a passion for helping women during this transition. Our founders and clinicians have focused exclusively on hormonal health including menopause care for over 15 years collectively.
We remain dedicated students - continually learning, questioning, researching to bring the most up-to-date, evidence-based care. We pride ourselves on taking the needed time for real conversations that solve frustrating issues. And we tailor recommendations to enhance each woman’s unique situation.
You deserve to have knowledgeable experts guiding you through testing options, interpreting your labs, mapping treatment plans and tweaking therapies until finding the optimal regimen. Getting high-quality care relieves guesswork and anxiety.
We help identify realistic solutions so you can feel like yourself again, ease unpleasant symptoms, regain energy, improve intimacy and ultimately pursue a purposeful, dynamic path in your later years. Let our compassionate, seasoned team support your menopausal journey.
