Menapause

Menopause

Literally, menopause means cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle and signals the end of women's natural childbearing years. Menopause is either a disease or an illness, it is a natural and usually gradual change in glandular function.  It has its origins in the beginning of menses and culminates in a series of hormonal changes that result in the cessation of menstrual flow.  This transition produces a variety of bodily manifestations and symptoms, and is due to changes in production of hormones and the time of their release.  Various body parts undergo changes and can produce one or more of the following symptoms.

Endocrine

1.      Bleeding irregularities

2.      Vaginal dryness

3.      Hot flashes/sweats

4.      Changes in sex drive 

Nervous Symptoms

1.      Insomnia

2.      Nervousness, irritability

3.      Headaches

4.      Mood changes

5.      Depression 

Metabolic Changes

1.      Skin aging

2.      Osteoporosis

3.      Altered fat and carbohydrate metabolism

4.      Arthrosclerosis

Why Should You Test?

Hormones are powerful substances that control multiple functions throughout the body. Hormone levels should be sufficient and balanced. Too much or too little of them is not conducive to long-term emotional, mental and bodily health.

By not measuring the hormones before and after treatment your hormone picture is, at best, an educated guess, since hormone levels from woman to woman can vary 200 - 1,500%. In fact many women need only one hormone, while others require 3 or 4 different kinds.

Just as you cannot balance your bank account without numbers on your bank statements, hormone testing provides both a basis for treatment and proximity to your goal.

One can then:

• Customize natural hormone dosing to meet individual needs.
• Optimize hormone levels for minimum dose to relieve symptoms. Avoid overdosing.
• Achieve appropriate and compatible physiologic levels of several hormones.
• Increase sense of "well being" by removing underlying hormone deficit and imbalances.

What Do We Test For And What Does It Tell You?

Let us take a common example:

A woman suffers from several symptoms-migraines, hot flashes and emotional fragility. She is having irregular periods, one every 6-8 months. Her doctor treats her with natural estrogens, but he does not do any testing to determine quantities or types of hormones that will meet her specific needs. The symptoms are under control, but her risks are the following:

• Increased blood pressure
• Endometrial cancer (uterine cancer)
• Fibroid growth
• Gallbladder disease
• Over 15 years, at least twice the risk of breast cancer

What could we have found out if we had tested her saliva hormone levels? We would have known that she has too much estrogen, not enough progesterone to balance the estrogen, low DHEA, and marginal testosterone.

"But, she felt good on the estrogen, many will say." Yes, however, the silent killers (cancer, blood pressure, heart disease) rarely make anyone feel bad at the start. Her best course is a new treatment plan, designed around the objective saliva hormone measurements.