Natural menopause
Menopause is a part of life. It is brought on by a decrease in the production of hormones, such as estrogen. Eventually a woman experiences her last menstrual period. Natural menopause is complete 1 year after the final period.
For some women, menopause symptoms begin several years before their final period. During this transition, hormone levels in a woman’s reproductive system are constantly changing. This natural fluctuation is what causes menopause symptoms.
The symptoms and age at which natural menopause occurs is as different as each woman. On average, a woman may experience menopause anywhere from her 40s to mid-50s. Three to 5 years before menopause, a woman may begin to experience menopause symptoms such as irregularity in her periods, hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal irritation.
Surgical menopause
There is another type of menopause called surgical menopause. Surgical menopause occurs as a result of a woman having a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of a woman’s reproductive system. If the hysterectomy involves removal of the ovaries (ovaries help produce hormones in women), the woman will experience surgical menopause symptoms due to an abrupt interruption in the amount of hormones produced in her body.
Surgical menopause symptoms generally occur within a few days of surgery and are more frequent, longer in duration, and more severe than symptoms experienced in natural menopause.
Menopause management
If you’re experiencing menopause symptoms, don’t worry. Most symptoms can be managed effectively with estrogen replacement therapies like EstroGel—the first FDA-approved transdermal estrogen gel therapy in the U.S. EstroGel is a convenient, bio-identical estrogen replacement therapy that is an ideal choice for women with active lifestyles.1 Bio-identical means that estradiol, the active ingredient in EstroGel, is similar to the estrogen produced by your body.1,2 EstroGel is a modern option for managing menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness and itching.1
While estrogen replacement therapy can help alleviate symptoms, the best way to make the transition as smooth as possible is to know what to expect from menopause. There are plenty of educational resources available to you. |