Feeling menopausal? These ideas might help.

Menopause impacts your body with mood swings, night sweats, tiredness, irritability, and famed “hot flashes,” not to mention new mental and emotional challenges. Menopause is difficult for many women; though a natural part of a woman’s life cycle, these types of cerebral and physical changes can be a lot for women to manage and still maintain a sense of balance. But, there are options to treat how uncomfortable women can feel as they go through menopause.

To start, Healthline underscores the same sort of tips recommended for good general health, including eating and exercising well--with specifics, such as, making sure you consume a lot of Calcium and Vitamin D, protein-rich foods, and fruits and vegetables--are still relevant for keeping your body fit and well-nourished to stave off some effects of menopause. Staying away from trigger foods and eating less refined sugar, for example, can help both your sleep and emotional mood patterns, which, during menopause, may fire up on their own.  

Interested in an herbal approach? Overall, evidence is scarce or inconclusive about natural remedies, reports The North American Menopause Society, but some are proven to have effects on lessening menopausal symptoms. These options include ginseng, said to help sleep disturbances and mood swings and support overall well-being, and black cohosh, which has mixed results, but some women report it helps their hot flashes. Discuss natural remedy options for menopause with an herbalist or a nutritionist who specializes in herbal approaches for healing.  

A variety of medications are available to reduce the strength of menopausal symptoms; in particular, hot flashes. The Mayo Clinic reports that low-dose antidepressants, related to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); Gabapentin; and Clonidine may decrease, or provide women relief from, hot flashes. SSRI antidepressants, Gabapentin, and Clonidine all require a prescription from your doctor, so make sure you keep up an active dialogue with your doctor and thoughtfully choose the medication that makes the most sense for you and your situation.

Over-the-counter: to treat symptoms of vaginal discomfort and dryness, water-based vaginal lubricants, such as K-Y jelly and Astroglide, can be helpful, as well as can moisturizers, such as Replens, or silicone-based lubricants. Glycerin, reports Mayo Clinic, can be an irritant for some women, so look for products without it. Just a note, that keeping up your sex life will help you naturally increase blood flow to the vaginal area.

Estrogen therapy works to challenge the menopausal hot flash and is considered the most effective. The therapy can be administered in different doses, so make sure again you are in clear communication with your doctor about your situation and medical history to figure out what is right for you. Research has shown, for some women, beginning hormone therapy when menopause is starting can be beneficial. Estrogen has been shown to prevent bone loss and is an important hormone overall for women’s health and wellbeing.

Menopause may not be a barrel of fun, but there are ways you can partner with your body, and medical advisors, to find a treatment option that will reduce your discomfort. The sun is still shining...you got this, glorious woman!

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