Menopause

Question: menopause???? can you get menopause when your in your teens? is it even possible? just wanted to know because i have heat flashes all the time and i havnt gotten my period in months.

Answer: Menopause occurs in your late forties, early fifties. There is no way what you are experiencing could be menopause. If you are aving a lot of hot flashes you may need to go to the doctor but I really doubt it is something serious.

Question: Can you start menopause when you are on birth control pills? Or, will you know you are starting menopause when you are on the pill? Will you still have normal periods? I am 32 and a bit young but the females in my family go through menopause young. I was just wondering because I am having horrible hot flashes at night and was wondering if the pill would mask menopause? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer: The oestrogen provided in the BCP (birth control pill) may be enough to control menopausal symptoms if you happened to be going through it whilst on birth control pills so in a way yes it could mask the fact that you were going through the menopause (depending on the level of oestrogen you are on) . Having said that, the night sweats can be side fx of the pill. With regards to periods, the bcp causes a monthly period so there is no reason why that would necessarily stop because you may be going through an early menopause. They would stop however, if you were definitely going through menopause and not on the bcp! If you are concerned and really want to know then a trip to the Doc to check your hormone levels esp FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH ( lutenizing hormone) (used to determine if you are in or about to enter menopause) would be best but am not sure if they can test that if still on the bcp, but I'm sure they'll clarify that for you! (",)

Question: When do women generally start menopause and how long does it last? I'm in my early 40's and was wondering when I should be concerned about menopause. I've been very moody lately and just don't feel like myself...could this be pre-menopause? What are some of the symptoms emotional and physical that accompany menopause? How long does menopause last?

Answer: 50 to death

Question: After menopause is it necessary to use contraceptive to avoid pregnancy? A friend of mine has been asking this question for quite a long time. He is shy of asking a doctor. Even after many years of wife's menopause he continues to use contraceptive as he is afraid of her getting pregnant. Can someone advice correctly?

Answer: Menopause is the cessation of the woman's ability to conceive. While going through menopause, a woman may become pregnant, but after it is complete, there is no chance. If she went through it many years ago, they are safe. No contraception is needed.

Question: Can the symptoms of menopause start in your early thirties? 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.

Answer: you can experience this even in your 20's. I would check with your doc for proper diagnosis.

Question: On average what age do women start menopause ? My friend and I were wondering on average what age do you start menopause. Also, if you start your period at a later age (eg17 compared to 10) does that mean you start menopause later?

Answer: Menopause isn't the sudden stopping of your periods. For most women, it's a gradual happening called "perimenopause" http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/perimenopause/DS00554, then "menopause" is defined as having gone a year without periods. Some women in perimenopause don't reven realize what's happening. It often starts happening in the 40's. Periods will get longer or shorter, or heavier or lighter, or more/less often, as hormones start declining. Perimenopause can be triggered by running out of usable eggs in your ovaries. Before a baby girl is born, she can have millions of eggs in her ovaries. At birth, she may have 400,000-500,000 eggs. Most of these die; some are ovulated (released from the ovaries). So it can be true that later menarche (first period) can result in later menopause. My own perimenopause started at age 38, and now at 47 I'm in true menopause.

Question: What does women in her menopause stage need to eat to stay healthy? Does anyone know what supplements or special cares are needed for women in her menopause stage? Such as taking omega 3 or something... P.S.: I'm in my early 20s and I am not going throught menopause. I'm doing this as a research for one of my class.

Answer: The following articles may be helpful: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/menopaus1/a/nutritionmeno.htm http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition-and-diet/health/44298.html http://www.estroven.com/info/wellness_care/nutrition http://health.yahoo.com/experts/weightkoch/1504/nutrition-and-menopause/ I AM going through menopause, as I'm 47. One of the most important things a menopausal woman can do? Cut back her calories dramatically and focus on healthy eating. Horrible advice, when you've lived almost 50 years you'd think you'd be allowed to eat all the chocolate you want.

Question: What are the things you have exprienced during menopause? I am looking for personal experiences with Menopause. The reason is the websites can give you a clinical explanation but experience is always better than what can be read in a book. Please if you are willing, share your personal experiences with menopause with me. I think mine may have begun. Yikes!

Answer: I didn't have hot flushes during the day, but woke up sweating during the night. I also suffered from depressions, broke out into tears for no reasons until I decided to to hat a grip of the situation. I kept a journal with my thoughts, changed the way I ate and added a lot of soy to my diet and generally foods that are rich in phytoestrogens, like beans, legumes, seaweed, yams, apples, potatoes, and carrots. To fight my depressions I took a yoga class and also danced a lot whenever things went rough. ;) Eventually things calmed down and looking back I think it was not so bad after all. I didn't gain weight so far (its five years now) and feel as attractive and as alive and young as before. All the best!

Question: Why does menopause cause women to be a little mean?How long does menopause last? Why does menopause cause meanness? I notice that women tend to be a little mean when going through "the change" Why? How long does menopause last? Women are kind of crazy during menopause. My mom sure is moody lately.I can't wait for her to be done.I don't live with my parents but when I visit she can be a little mean sometimes lately. How long does it last? Why are menopausal women so mean?

Answer: It's pretty much the same issue as PMS, fluctuating hormone levels alter a person's mood.

Question: Is it possible to be starting menopause and all of the hormonal lab work turn out negative? My mom is 49 years old and has been having sudden anxiety/depression. She describes what sounds to be like a hot flash combined with sudden anxiety and panic. She went to the MD and was tested for elevated estrogen/progesterone/luteinizing hormone, but all were within normal limits. IS it possible to be starting menopause without having elevated hormones?

Answer: Yes that is precisely what happened to me - my results looked fine. The blood tests give normal results based on the average person. However each individual has different hormonal requirements. My specialist put me on a very small dose of estradiol, progesterone and testosterone and my symptoms vanished.

Question: Can my strange dreams be related to the start of menopause? I think I maybe be starting menopause. I do have an appointment with my gyno. But I have been having some really strange dreams lately. They are really effecting my sleep. I don't know why else I would be having these dreams. Has anyone else experienced this at the onset of menopause?

Answer: Quite possibly, yes. I find that I have very strange dreams in the couple of days before my period, so I guess maybe there is some connection between hormone levels and weird dreams! The other thing I've heard is that when your body temperature is higher than usual, you don't sleep as deeply, and so you're more likely to remember your dreams. I don't know much about the menopause, but I know one of the symptoms is hot flushes, so it could be that your night time body temperature is a little higher than usual. So maybe your dreams are always that weird and you don't usually remember them!

Question: At what age do men start to see the signs of male menopause? At what age do the signs of male menopause begin? Do all men reach menopause? How often do you hear cases of men suffering from male menopause? Men do suffer from symptoms similar to menopause. That's why it's called male menopause I beg to differ J John. infertility is when a man stops producing sperm. Cancer can also be a cause for a mans infertility.

Answer: to answer your question i did a little research and no all men go through menopause! here is what i found: Unlike menopause in women which represents a well-defined period in which hormone production stops completely, male hormone (testosterone) decline is a slower process. The testes, unlike the ovary, does not run out of the substance it needs to make testosterone. A healthy male may be able to make sperm well into his eighties or longer. However, as a result of disease, subtle changes in the function of the testes may occur as early as 45 to 50 years of age, and more dramatically after the age of 70 in some men. If you or a loved one is considering androgen replacement therapy, talk to a doctor to learn more. Your doctor may also recommend certain lifestyle changes, such as a new diet or exercise program, or other medications, such as an antidepressant, to help with some of the symptoms of male menopause. hope this helps good luck and have a good day Hiedi

Question: If you start your periods early will you hit the menopause earlier? This is a little embarrassing.. I started my periods when I was nine years old. Does this mean I will go through the menopause earlier? If its to do with family.. My mum is 47 and hasn't gone through the menopause yet. Im just worried. Thanks x Im only 15 btw.

Answer: Hi ladeda, who knows what life has mapped out for us. No one can tell, all you can do is wait and see what happens. Mike t.

Question: How is a hysterectomy induced menopause likely to last? I had a full hysterectomy a year ago and have been going through an induced menopause ever since, I was just wondering how long it is likely to last as i know it is not as long as a normal menopause. I will not take HRT.

Answer: Hi. Symptoms of menopause vary from woman to woman. Nobody can tell you how long you will experience the symptoms. Through research i have done ( i had a hysterectomy also ), it can be 1 to 10 years. Some women never have any symptoms at all ( hard to believe, but it's true ). Other women seen to experience symptoms for many years. I took hormones, and i regret it now. I have thyroid disease, and cancer. I believe taking hormones for 15 years caused both conditions. It may help with the symptoms, but it's not worth the risk. If i had it to do all over again, i would not have taken them. Having a hot flash is better then having cancer. Good luck. Hang in there :-)

Question: How long do you have hotflashes after menopause? My mom started menopause a few years back and still has severe hot flashes. Her doctor doesn't want to put her on estrogen because of the increased risk of stroke. Is this normal for her to still be having hot flashes? Thanks to anyone who helps.

Answer: The years you have hot flashes for are actually referred to as peri-menopause. You don't hit menopause until you finish these symptoms. A women can perimenopausal for 5-10 years.

Question: I am nearing menopause, how should I adjust my diet to minimize the effects of it? Also, what changes in my lifestyle will help in reducing the effects of menopause so that I can live a healthy life into my 50s, 60s, and after retirement?

Answer: If there was a way to minimize menopause effects through diet I guess most women would have preferred that on any HRT or other ways. I would say you need to adjust your diet no matter how old you are. The sugars, starches and fast food in general are the enemies of a healthy life style. What is called the Mediterranean diet i.e. lots of fish, vegetables, fruits, olive oil those should be the main ingredients on your table. You can look it up in Google or Yahoo. Then there is another very important thing and its exercise, even just walking 5 times a week for half or one hour is so very important. If you can go to exercise classes that would be great. Sleep 7 hours a night I think these are the main guidelines. But, if you think these steps will diminish or minimize menopause effects, that would be an illusion. Some women experience very harsh symptoms and take HRT and some can live with the symptoms, its very personal.