Health Tips

As women begin to enter menopause, weight loss becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. Menopause weight gain is but one of the many symptoms that plague women during this transitional phase of their lives as their child bearing years draw to a close with the cessation of their menstrual cycles. Still, it is a small comfort to women fighting the "battle of the bulge" to say that weight gain in menopause is a normal part of the aging process.

What Happens to the Body During Menopause?
When a woman's body begins to produce less and less estrogen and the reproductive system starts to shut down, the body experiences a period of transition during which changing levels of hormones create a host of symptoms. These may manifest as hot flashes, heart palpitations, depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, poor concentration, vaginal dryness, urinary urgency, erratic periods, and weight gain.

The average onset of menopausal symptoms, often referred to as perimenopause, is 50.5 years but it is not at all uncommon for women in their early 40s to begin to detect changes in their bodies. While in theory the lead-up to the actual cessation of menses is a year to five years, some women go through ten to eleven years of managing an array of symptoms in their lives.

While conventional medical wisdom has tended to treat menopause as a disorder to be cured, more and more women are honoring it as a natural process - a part of being a woman - and managing the transition through natural means rather than with hormone replacement therapies that have been linked to stroke and to cancer. A good support system, usually represented by other women who have already gone through the process or who are on the same journey, is a vital aspect of managing all elements of this life transition.
How Can I Stop the Added Pounds of Menopause?
After entering menopause, weight loss should not be attempted through crash dieting. If you deprive yourself of too many calories your body goes into starvation mode. Choose a varied diet low in fat and high in fiber from fruits and vegetables. Given the fact that your metabolism has slowed down as a consequence of the natural aging process, you need to cut anywhere from 200 to 400 calories a day out of your daily intake of food.

Menopause weight loss is a tricky subject because there are psychological factors involved. Be careful to eat only when you are hungry. Don't use food to "feed" the depression, anxiety, and frustration that are common menopausal issues. In the face of those problems, burn off steam and calories with a program of aerobic exercise

For centuries women have turned to herbs for menopause-related symptoms. The menopause herbs available today are often based on tried and true therapies dating back to ancient natural treatment philosophies. For instance in the system of Chinese herbs, menopause has long been addressed with the use of Dong Quai whereas Black Cohosh is a Native American remedy.
Do Herbs help in Alleviating the Symptoms of Menopause?
A number of natural remedies such as Black Cohosh, Chaste Tree Berry, and Evening Primrose Oil are prescribed for menopausal symptoms by physicians in Europe more often than prescription hormone replacement therapies. While American scientists complain that the efficacy of these treatments is unproven, thousands of women are ready to offer anecdotal testimony of their usefulness.

While all herbs will not work for all women, it is certainly worth a woman's time to try the various remedies before turning to medically conventional hormone replacement medications that are increasingly linked to a range of side effects and to cancer. In addition, while not free, menopause herbs are significantly less expensive than prescription therapies.
What are the Top Ten Menopause Herbs?
With increasing concerns over the danger of cancer raised by prescription hormone replacement therapies, more women are turning to natural remedies to alleviate the symptoms of "the change" and to ride out menopause without resorting to dangerous chemical preparations. In surveying the range of available herbs, menopause symptoms respond best to those listed below.
Black Cohosh
Black Cohosh, a perennial member of the buttercup family native to North America is considered to be one of the top herbs for menopause. It will relieve hot flashes, night sweats, and mild mood changes. Although its mechanism of action is not completely understood, it does not cause increased menstrual bleeding and does not illustrate estrogen binding or estrogen-like activities as once believed. Although dosage varies according to formulation a common strength would be 20 mg taken twice daily. Some women experience gastric discomfort, but in general side effects with Black Cohosh are rare. If you have high blood pressure, consult your physician before beginning to use this herb.
Soy
On studies conducted with Asian women whose diets contain 40 to 80mg of soy isoflavones per day as compared to only 3 for American women, the Asian women were found to exhibit fewer symptoms of menopause. Introducing more soy into the diet over a period of four to twelve weeks should improve instances of hot flashes. There is no set dosage and use is guided by gastric tolerance. Allow sufficient time to pass before evaluating the efficacy of soy in alleviating your symptoms.
Dong Quai
The Chinese herb Dong Quai has been used for thousands of years to lessen menstrual cramps and to treat the symptoms of menopause. It is particularly good to regularize menstrual flow, which becomes erratic with the onset of perimenopausal symptoms. Typically Dong Quai is taken in doses of 300 to 500mg two to three times a day. In cases of hypersensitivity to Dong Quai menstrual bleeding can increase and a fever may be present. Discontinue use of the herb if these symptoms appear. If you are taking a blood thinner, do not begin using Dong Quai without first consulting your physician.
Wild Yam
Wild Yam is an herb used topically as a natural form of progesterone. Not only does the use reportedly ease the hormonal fluctuations which plague menopausal women, wild yam also eases the pain of endometriosis and can shrink the fibroid cysts that often appear in women at this stage of their lives. There are no known drug interactions or side effects and the cream is usually rubbed on the abdomen or thighs. Make sure the product you are using contains 400mg of USP-grade natural progesterone per ounce. Most manufacturers package the cream with some method for measuring dosage, for instance a metered pump to dispense the correct amount.

Menopause symptoms are part of a natural biological process experienced by all women as their child-bearing years come to an end. The transition can begin as early as the 30s and last even into the 60s. The symptoms of menopause are not an illness, just a natural consequence of aging. All women experience "the change" in different ways. Some will have no symptoms or only mild issues while others will battle a range of annoying alterations in their body like hot flashes or mood swings than can negatively affect their daily lives.
Does Menopause Cause Complications?
After menopause there are chronic conditions that tend to appear in women. Declining estrogen levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. To combat this potential, women should stop smoking, reduce their blood pressure, exercise regularly, and eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains but low in saturated fats.

Bone density decreases at a rapid rate after menopause and some women develop osteoporosis. In this condition brittle, weak bones break easily, especially those in the hip, wrist, and spine. Adequate amounts of calcium at the rate of 1500mg a day as well as 400-800mg of Vitamin D will help to decrease this risk as will strength training and walking or jogging.
What are the Signs that Menopause is Starting?
Menopause manifests at different times and in different ways for individual women. Some are lucky enough to get through the experience with no significant problems but for others, menopause disrupts both their lives and their interpersonal relationships.

There are a number of signs and symptoms to indicate the onset of menopause beginning with irregular menstrual periods. The irregularity may be apparent with increased or decreased frequency or in the amount of flow present. As ovulation begins to fluctuate, a women is less likely to get pregnant but conception is still possible unless menstrual periods have been absent for a year.

Both the lining of the vagina and of the urethra become drier, thinner, and have less elasticity with the onset of menopause. Consequently women tend to experience burning and itching and have an increased chance of urinary or vaginal infections. A frequent urge to urinate is common with minor incontinence especially when laughing, sneezing, or coughing. (These problems can continue after full menopause.) In addition, sexual intercourse may become increasingly uncomfortable, even painful.

One of the most common menopause symptoms, the hot flash, is a consequence of dropping estrogen levels that cause blood vessels to expand rapidly with an attendant increase in skin temperature. Generally women experience sweating and a flushed appearance. This can last from 30 seconds to several minutes and can occur as often as once an hour.

Although hot flashes can occur at any time of the day or night, night sweats are a related problem that severely disrupts the sleep cycle. Women report waking up from a deep sleep to find their night clothes and bedding soaked with sweat.

Most women gain some degree of weight during the onset of menopause, usually an average of five pounds. The increased weight concentrates around the waist and abdomen. Other changes in appearance can include fullness of the breasts, thinning hair, wrinkles, adult acne, and coarse hair (usually on the chin, upper lip, and sometimes on the chest and abdomen).
What Causes Menopause?
As part of the aging process the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone. This decrease signals the beginning of the end of a women's reproductive years. Eventually the menstrual periods stop and it is no longer possible for a woman to become pregnant. Normally this transition progresses in two stages.
Perimenopause
In this stage women begin to experience the symptoms of menopause even though they are still experiencing ovulation and having menstrual periods. In this phase hot flashes and irregular periods begin to occur but it may be four to five years before full menopause sets in.
Postmenopause
When twelve months have passed with no menstrual periods occurring, a woman has reached full menopause. The ovaries produce significantly less estrogen and progesterone and no longer release eggs; consequently pregnancy is no longer possible.
How is Menopause Diagnosed?
For the most part women are simply adequately attuned to their bodies to know when signs of menopause begin to appear. If irregular periods or hot flashes get out of hand, talk to your doctor to calm your concerns and to investigate some of the therapies available to alleviate the extremes of your symptoms.

In some cases doctors will perform blood tests. Mainly they are checking levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and estrogen. FSH increases and estrogen decreases at the onset of menopause. Additionally, a thyroid test may be in order as hypothyroidism can cause some of the same symptoms as menopause