What is menopause? What is andropause?
Menopause is a natural process that occurs when your ovaries make significantly lower levels of hormones. On average, women in the United States start menopause at age 51. Andropause is the process by which the ovaries stop making testosterone. Women make more testosterone than estrogen over a lifetime so its obviously a very important hormone. Unfortunately, testosterone levels can drop as early as in your 30’s, causing man but bothersome symptoms.
Certain surgical procedures like hysterectomies can also cause menopause, as can some medical treatments like chemotherapy.
How do I know if I’m experiencing menopause?
Each woman going through menopause experiences a unique set of symptoms. Some women have no symptoms at all.
What’s most important for all women are the silent changes related to dropping hormone levels like bone loss, changes in brain metabolism, cardiovascular changes and immune system dysfunction.
There are some common symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes. They are sudden flashes of mild to extreme warmth that may cause facial flushing, increases in heart rate and can impair sound sleep. They are triggered by dropping estrogen levels.
Other common menopausal symptoms treated by the physicians at the Center for Women’s Health:
- Night sweats and insomnia: Like hot flashes, night sweats may wake you up at night, cause excessive sweating, and make sleeping uncomfortable or difficult. Night sweats are related to dropping testosterone levels, even in women.
- Decreased sex drive: The reduction in your body’s estrogen and testosterone levels can lead to a reduced sex drive.
- Vaginal dryness: The reduction in the amount of estrogen your body produces can cause vaginal dryness and reduce blood flow to the vagina, which can result in insufficient natural lubrication and pain during sex.
- Headaches, “ brain fog”, difficulty concentrating, irritability and depression can also be triggered by changes in both estrogen and testosterone.
How is menopause/andropause treated?
The doctors at the Center for Women’s Health commit to providing you with the most up-to-date treatment strategies. Our all-female medical staff offers hormone optimization treatments with the option for bioidentical hormone therapy and subcutaneous pellet therapy — to replace and balance lost hormones.
Our menopause and andropause treatment recommendations are customized to you, the individual patient, based on your symptoms, blood hormone tests, a detailed personal and family health history and a physical exam when needed.
In-office assessments such as ultrasounds are also available to evaluate other concerns like abnormal bleeding or pelvic pain in our menopausal patients.
Call or schedule an appointment online to learn more about how the team of experienced physicians at Center for Women’s Health can help you stay the healthiest in midlife.
