Menopause

All women experience menopause, a natural stage of life, but uncontrolled symptoms of menopause needn’t affect your well-being. At Creekside OB/GYN of Folsom, Timothy Phelan MD, FACOG, Mandi O'Brien, MSN, FNP-BC, and the team support you in the transition to menopause, helping to manage unwanted symptoms and protect you against the risk of osteoporosis. Find out more by calling the Folsom, California, office or scheduling a menopause consultation online.

What is menopause?

Menopause is a normal life change that comes with the end of your menstrual cycle. Doctors say a woman has reached menopause when she hasn't had a period for 12 consecutive months. 

Menopause may occur at varying ages, but most women start going through menopause after age 45. Although this life stage is normal, menopause can also bring a host of unwanted symptoms that affect you emotionally and physically. These changes are generally due to declining levels of estrogen. However, many symptoms of menopause are treatable with the help of hormonal medication to restore your lost estrogen.

What causes menopausal changes?

In menopause, your ovaries gradually produce less and less estrogen. The decline in estrogen often produces uncomfortable symptoms, such as: 

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Mood swings
• Vaginal dryness
• Brain fog

You may notice changes in your period. It may become incredibly heavy or quite sporadic. 

What tests do I need with menopause?

Creekside OB/GYN of Folsom recommends bone screening tests when you’re in menopause. Declining estrogen leads to bone loss and a condition called osteoporosis, which makes you more susceptible to broken bones.

You generally continue to have regular mammograms after age 50 through age 75, although this depends on your medical history and risk factors. You also continue to have routine Pap smears and an HPV test during menopause. However, your At Creekside OB/GYN of Folsom provider may allow you to stop these tests if you’re over age 65 and you’ve had three tests in a row with normal results. 

What are the treatments for menopause?

At Creekside OB/GYN of Folsom, your provider suggests first testing your hormone levels, then recommends appropriate hormonal treatment. Hormone replacement therapy may help relieve menopausal symptoms and lower the health risks associated with menopause. 

As its name suggests, hormone replacement therapy works by replacing the hormones your body no longer makes. Your provider may suggest estrogen therapy or a combination of estrogen and progesterone, another hormone. 

Hormone replacement therapy is easily administered and comes in a variety of options, such as pills, a patch, creams, or tiny pellets surgically inserted under your skin. Your provider works with you to arrive at the best treatment option to relieve your menopausal symptoms.

Rely on Creekside OB/GYN of Folsom for effective care to manage menopause symptoms. Call today or book a consultation online.