Q: AT WHAT TIME DO I CONSIDER MYSELF POSTMENOPAUSAL?
A: Most clinicians place the postmenopausal phase at one full year after the last menstrual cycle. Postmenopause is a time when most of the distress of the menopausal changes have faded. At postmenopause, hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause are more mild and less frequent and energy and emotional levels stabilize.
Q: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE?
A: Symptoms of menopause may include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, aching joints and muscle problems, anxiety, irritability, depression and mental fatigue. Decreased libido, headaches, migraines, heart palpitations, urinary tract infections, weight gain, hair loss and incontinence are also symptoms of menopause.
Not every woman will experience these symptoms or at the same severity. Women going through surgical menopause experience most of these symptoms in a more severe fashion than women going through menopause naturally.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS DURING MENOPAUSE?
A: During menopause, the ovaries gradually produce lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. After menopause, the estrogen levels in woman are about one-tenth the level before menopause and progestin levels are near non-existent.