Symptoms and Treatment Options for Menopause

Menopause is a point in a woman's life where the function of the ovaries discontinue and her menstrual cycle ceases for twelve months. The ovaries provide a woman's body with the hormones that give her female characteristics, such as breasts and a curvy body shape.

When the ovaries stop producing hormones a woman can suffer from several different symptoms.

Menopause is a natural process indicated by a hormonal imbalance. Estrogen levels do slump during menopause but it is the drop progesterone levels that result in menopausal symptoms and complications. Symptoms include irregular vaginal bleeding, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, fatigue, and irritability. Not every woman experiences these symptoms and some suffer from completely different or more serious conditions.

Irregular bleeding or skipped menstrual cycles is one of the first signals that a woman is beginning menopause. The first signs of abnormal bleeding are associated with a decrease in fertility although it is possible for a woman to become pregnant during this time. There is no normal pattern of menstrual cycles for women who are beginning menopause. Lengths between cycles and cycle flows can vary from woman to woman and from month to month. There is also no set length of time that it takes for a woman to go through the menopausal transition.

Hot flashes are among the most common symptom of menopause. When hot flashes occur, a warm sensation comes in waves throughout the head and chest. Dizziness, nausea, and a rapid heart beat are also associated with hot flashes. As with abnormal bleeding there are little normal patterns for hot flashes. Hot flashes can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes and can occur for up to ten years in particular women. However, the normal occurrence of hot flashes in women enduring menopause is five years.

Black Cohosh has been tested and verified as an effective source of relief of hot flashes. Black Cohosh is a herbal remedy and is safe to use for periods shorter than six months. Further tests are being conducted to verify the safety of this herb for the future use in the relief of hot flashes.