There are many signs and symptoms of menopause and one of the main concerns that women have when they are going through menopause is spotting during menopause and is it normal or not. Well, to an extent menopause spotting is normal, after all your body is changing from going to have a period every single month to having none, so of course it is natural for your body to stop.

One main concern you may have is after you have entered into post menopause and you start spotting heavily, then it is definitely time to consult your doctor, for it can be a sign of something a bit more serious. One of the first symptoms of menopause is irregular periods and this is when your body starts is cycle of stopping the production of estrogen. So it is pretty obvious that some bleeding during menopause is perfectly normal. If however, you are still worried and concerned about the bleeding, it may help to educate yourself on menopause itself and all the stages, signs, symptoms and what exactly you will be going through for the next ten to fifteen years.

One of the main points that women do not realize about menopause is it is not one main stage that you will go through, menopause is broken down into three or four stages. Pre menopause, perimenopause, menopause itself and finally post menopause are the four stages that each and every woman will go through when they are dealing with menopause. While a lot of doctors like to view pre menopause and perimenopause as the same stage, it is a common known fact that they are two different stages.

There is also one more stage that woman in their thirties will end up going through and that is premature menopause. Now, not every woman goes through premature menopause, it is just a few of them. Premature menopause usually hits women whose female family members have had a history of going through premature menopause.

The only time that you are experiencing actual menopause is when you have gone one entire year without any bleeding. This does include spotting, if you are spotting during those twelve months, then you will have to start all over on your count. Menopause is when you have gone a full twelve months without any spotting, bleeding or menstruating what-so-ever. It may be a good idea to keep tabs on how many months you go without bleeding so that way you will have a good indication of when you have gone from pre menopause to menopause itself.

After you have gone the entire year without menopause, you will have entered post menopause and this is when you will have to be concerned if you are still spotting. Spotting when you are in post menopause is absolutely a reason to consult your doctor, for this can be signs of something way more serious. This is especially true if you go from light spotting to actual heavy bleeding. Even though spotting in all the stages of menopause is generally normal, it is still a good idea to get yourself checked out and do not take any precautions.



Thanks to Lance Thorington for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Alternative Hormone Treatment

If you’re a woman and you’re in menopause, then it almost goes without saying that you’ve suffered from hot flashes at one time or another. Hot flashes affect 75-85% of all women in menopause to varying degrees. It is not completely understood exactly what causes them, but most agree that it is due to hormonal imbalances caused by changes in the level of estrogen. Because they can be so uncomfortable and disruptive, most women are searching for a safe cure for hot flashes.

Some of the earliest symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, abnormal menstrual bleeding, and mood swings. Hot flashes and night sweats often result in sleep problems and insomnia, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Women in menopause quite often also experience heart palpitations, vaginal dryness, weight gain, loss of libido, and urinary changes. Some women float through menopause with few symptoms, but for most of us it’s a different story. Is it any wonder that searching for a safe and effective cure for hot flashes can be such a priority?

Since the imbalance is caused by falling estrogen levels, it makes sense that estrogen itself is the most effective treatment for hot flashes. That’s why for so many years Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) – also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – has been the primary cure for hot flashes. In fact, it generally results in an 80 to 90% reduction in hot flashes and other symptoms.

The peak age for hot flashes is the early 50’s, but many women start getting them in their 40’s. There is also a growing number of women who have undergone breast cancer treatment who suffer from hot flashes as well. Estrogen is the most prescribed medication to cure hot flashes, often as a pill or a skin patch. Generally, the amount of estrogen it takes to reduce hot flashes and other symptoms is less than the amount needed for normal menstrual periods. In recent years, doctors have prescribed much lower dosages than in the past.

Unfortunately, very recent studies have made it very clear that hormone replacement can increase the risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, and strokes. That means the hot flash cure can be worse then just coping with the symptoms. This has led increasing numbers of women to search for a more natural cure for hot flashes.

Breast cancer survivors don’t even have the option of using estrogen as a cure for hot flashes. The concern is that taking estrogen would cause the reappearance and further growth of breast cancer cells. Hot flashes then become a routine occurence in women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Many of these women have severe hot flashes.

Fortunately, there are natural remedies and strategies that can lessen the effects of hot flashes and other symptoms. Many women have turned to herbal remedies that include black cohosh, soy, and vitamin E. They have found these natural remedies to be an effective part of their search of a cure for hot flashes. Lifestyle and dietary changes also play a part. Foods and beverages that often increase hot flashes are alcohol, caffeine, and hot, spicy foods. Removing them from the diet can improve your symptoms. Increasing physical activity will also help.

In summary, hot flashes are the most common symptom faced by women going through menopause. They are caused by changing levels of hormones, especially of estrogen. Hormone Replacement Therapy is still the most prescribed cure for hot flashes. However, women are increasingly investigating natural remedies due to the increase in breast cancer, uterine cancer, and stroke risk associated with HRT. Fortunately, they don’t last forever. For most women, they will decrease in intensity and frequency. It’s only a matter of time.



Thanks to Linda Bruton for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Menopause Hormone Replacement

Can you answer yo’s question about Menopause?:

I am experiencing hot flashes at night, especially, and wondering how likely it is that I am in peri-menopause? ( pre menopause) I heard you can get symptoms years before you turn barren.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Can you answer Sandy’s question about Menopause?:

I’m 44 and my periods are irregular. I have new hair growing around my hairline and bad headaches. Are these symptoms that menopause is starting?

Natural Relief For Menopause

As we mentioned in other articles, endometriosis growing somewhere else other than the endometrium also reacts to hormonal signals of the monthly menstrual cycle, building up tissue, breaking it, and eliminating it through the menstrual period. Hysterectomy is always the last resort in treating endometriosis for women who have exhausted all treatments without success, or endometrial tissues have become cancerous her doctor may suggest some kind of hysterectomy. Besides hormone replacement therapy there are many other choices of natural estrogen therapy available that we will discuss in this article.

I. Other conventional medications

a)Progestogins hormone based medication such as megestrol acetate is often used to treat depression and helps to reduce hot flash and other symptoms of menopause but does have side-effects of enhancing weight gain.

b) Medication that is used to treat hypertension such as clonidine also helps relieve symptoms of menopause in some women but does have side-effects of fatigue and dizziness.

II. Vitamins C and Bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids is a type of phyto-chemical that can be found plentiful in citrus fruits. It helps to increase levels of estrogen which is vital to reduce hot flash, vagina dryness, and fluid retention. Intake of bioflavonoids and vitamin C together help to increase the maximum digestive absorption.

III. Herbs

a) Black cohosh

Black cohosh is a native American plant rich in isoflavons calcium, magnesium and zinc that are essential minerals helped to reduce symptoms of menopause and maintain certain hormones which cause hot flashes.

b) Mother worth

Mother worth is one of the herbs that has been used in Europe in treating hot flashes, irregular heart palpitation, and improves the digestive absorption of vitamins and minerals.

IV.Soy foods

Soy food contains high amounts of isoflavonoids such as genistein and daidzein, a type of phytoestrogen. Regular intake of soy foods will help to increase the natural estrogen level provided by photyestrogen that helps to reduce hot flashes and symptoms of menopause.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information or insurance advices, please follow my article series of the above subject at my home page at:

http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com

To read the series of endometriosis visit:

http://endometriosisa.blogspot.com



Thanks to Kyle J. Norton for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Memory Loss Perimenopause