Saturday, May 10, 2008

How To Cope With Your Menopause Symptom ?

Living with a menopause symptom can cause great distress, but knowing what to expect and learning how to deal with what happens can make it a little easier.

Learning about what happens to your body as you age and learning about the symptoms of this discomfort can help a great deal in leading to understanding of it and developing treatment options for some of the problem associated with it.

What Are the Symptoms of Menopause?

The symptoms of menopause are varied. This is because every woman's body is somewhat different and each body reacts to the change in hormones caused by menopause in a very different way.

As the hormonal levels change as a result of it, the body must adapt. As the body adapts to the change, different things start to occur as a result in changing body chemistry.

The most common symptom for menopause sufferers is the hot flash. Dealing with this discomfort symptom can be complicated, as hot flashes are generally rather difficult to ignore.

Often called hot flushes or night sweats, hot flashes are feelings of extreme heat (sometimes along with dizziness) that can affect a woman experiencing this common discomfort.

Hot flashes can occur a few times a week or even up to a dozen times a day, depending on the hormonal reactions within the body.

Women suffering with this common discomfort are also known to experience problems sleeping. These sleep issues are generally caused by the elevated levels of hormones, which can also produce various psychological symptoms. Some of the psychological symptoms include depression, anxiety and irritability.

Another typical menopause symptom is called urogenital atrophy. This symptom affects the genital area and can include itching, dryness and even bleeding. Sufferers of this common discomfort also often experience watery discharge, urinary frequency or urgency, and difficulty urinating. If you experience these symptoms, see your doctor as soon as possible.

How are the Symptoms Treated?

With all of those possible symptoms, you may be wondering how you can treat your menopause symptom. This common discomfort is a natural part of life, but some of the symptoms involved can be temporarily alleviated by medical treatments.

Hormone replacement therapy is probably the best solution in terms of effectiveness, but HRT also has some side effects and dangers that make many doctors hesitant to prescribe it for menopause symptoms.

Certain forms of hormone replacement therapy enhance the risks involved with the original symptoms of it or create new problems. Consult your doctor for the proper tests before taking any form of HRT.

Menopause sufferers also try natural products to help with their menopause symptom. Many use soy products as a way to help tone down the negative effects of this common discomfort, while others turn to different treatment options such as acupuncture.By: MIKE SELVON