Could it Be Menopause? (And What Should You Do About It?)

By Barbara C. Bourassa

For some women, it appears as moodiness, anxiety or unexplained crying, while for others it means irregular menstrual cycles, daily hot flashes, and unexplained headaches. Whether you experience one or all of these symptoms, the answer may be one in the same: menopause.

Officially, menopause is defined as 12-months without a consecutive menstrual cycle, marking the end of ovulation and decreasing levels of estrogen. The process can take anywhere from 3 to 15 years, and may start as early as age 35, although most women experience it around the age of 51.

About 1.5 million American women reach menopause each year, and 80 percent to 85 percent experience unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, anxiety or emotional instability, say researchers at Penn State University.

By far the most common symptom, however, is hot flashes, or a sudden rush of warmth that may cause a red face and neck or sudden sweatiness followed by a cold chill. Although scientists are not exactly sure what causes hot flashes, also called hot flushes, they may be the result of changes in the brain's hypothalamus, which regulates the body's temperature. Hot flashes can interrupt sleep and cause insomnia, among other things.

To date the only treatment approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for treating hot flashes is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, this treatment is very controversial resulting from data released in 2002 by the Women's Health Initiative, a large study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The data revealed that long-term use of HRT may increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer or heart disease. The effect was immediate: according to a survey published in the British Medical Journal, 58 percent of women stopped taking HRT after the results were released. (Whether you should take HRT or not is a personal decision and experts advise anyone experiencing hot flashes to consult with her doctor or medical practitioner for advice. If you opt for HRT, the FDA recommends taking the lowest dose for the shortest possible time.)

As the number of women opting not to take HRT has increased, a growing number are seeking other, more natural ways to ease the symptoms of menopause. When it comes to proving the effectiveness of such treatments, however, there's good and bad news to report.

First, the good news: Walking, yoga, and other regular exercise may ease some women's symptoms, say the Penn State researchers in a study released last month.

The women who walked or took yoga classes reported a better quality of life, including improvements in mood and menopause symptoms, according to the researchers. They note, however, that it was not clear whether exercise helped reduce the women's physical symptoms or whether the exercise put them in a better mood.

Women may also find some relief from acupuncture, according to another recent study by researchers at Stanford and Harvard. In this small study of 29 women, those receiving a 7-week course of acupuncture reported a reduction in the severity of their nocturnal hot flashes.

"For patients suffering from menopausal symptoms, who are not good candidates for hormone therapy, acupuncture treatment could be an excellent option," said one official from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine about the study in a prepared statement.

But other research has shown that herbal supplements containing black cohosh do not relieve the symptoms of menopause. The Herbal Alternatives (HALT) for Menopause Study, which was funded by NIH's National Institute on Aging and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, found no reduction in hot flashes or night sweats in the group taking the supplements. The findings were reported in the December 19, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

For more information on menopause, consult your own doctor or medical practitioner, or visit http://www.menopause.org