Is Menopause Disrupting Your Life? We Can Help

Each year in the United States, about 2 million women enter menopause. For the lucky few, the transition is relatively easy and life goes on as it normally has. 

For most other women, menopause can cast a big quality-of-life net and become more than just a hassle. In fact, about 13% of women leave the workforce after menopause due to disruptive symptoms. 

At Bayard Street Obstetrics & Gynecology, with locations in lower Manhattan, Chinatown, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, New York, our team has a good deal of experience helping women to navigate the often challenging world of menopause and its aftermath. 

Here, we look at some of the more disruptive side effects of menopause and how we can help you get relief.

Turning down the heat on menopause

There’s a long laundry list of potential side effects associated with menopause — the hormonal transition out of your reproductive years. At the head of this list in terms of prevalence are vasomotor symptoms, which boil down to hot flashes and night sweats.

About 75% of women experience hot flashes and night sweats during menopause for about two years and sometimes longer.

We can turn down the heat on these disruptive symptoms in one of two ways: hormone replacement therapy or targeted vasomotor medications.

Vaginal dryness, thinning, and itching

Among their many duties, estrogen hormones ensure that your vaginal tissues are healthy, strong, and well lubricated. When you pass through menopause, you lose your ability to produce estrogen as you once did. 

When these hormones dry up, so, too, can your vaginal tissues — more than half of women experience vaginal dryness after menopause. In addition to dryness, many women also encounter thinning vaginal walls and vaginal itching.

Hormone replacement therapy, including topical estrogen creams, is an effective solution for this menopause side effect.

Mood swings and cognitive issues

Many women experience heightened anxiety after menopause and are more prone to issues like depression. As well, you might notice some cognitive issues, such as trouble calling certain words to mind or remembering things.

These side effects are a little less straightforward and more challenging to address, but we can work with you on finding a remedy that works for you. This might include lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, or antidepressant medications, as examples.

Hair loss after menopause

Many menopausal women experience thinning hair. While hormone therapies don’t address this unfortunate side effect, other solutions — such as minoxidil and hair supplements — support hair regrowth.

Weight gain or weight redistribution after menopause

Another issue women frequently report is postmenopausal weight gain, as well as weight redistribution — accumulating weight in new places, such as above your buttocks.

With these side effects, we typically recommend exercise and strengthening programs that make a big difference and, if you gained a good deal of weight, we can turn to weight loss medications to get the number on the scale back down.

Moving forward after menopause

This  review includes only the disruptive side effects of menopause. There is  more happening below the surface, too, such as bone loss.

The best way to figure out how we can ease your menopausal journey is to see us for an evaluation so we can get you on the right road to relief.

For expert help navigating all of your menopause symptoms, please contact Bayard Street Obstetrics & Gynecology at one of our five locations in lower Manhattan, Chinatown, Brooklyn, Flushing, and Syosset, New York. You can call our appointment line at 212-226-5530 or use our convenient online booking feature.