Menopause Care

Menopause is a natural stage of life, not an illness, but its symptoms can be hard to live with. You do not have to put up with them. Effective treatments exist, and the right one depends on your symptoms, your health history and your preferences.

Perimenopause and menopause

Menopause is reached when you have gone 12 months without a period. For most women this happens around age 51. The years leading up to it, called perimenopause, often begin in the mid-40s. Hormone levels rise and fall unpredictably during this time, so periods become irregular and symptoms can come and go.

Common symptoms

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Disturbed sleep
• Mood changes, irritability or anxiety
• Vaginal dryness and discomfort with intercourse
• Changes in sexual desire
• Urinary urgency or more frequent urinary infections
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in weight and body shape

Heavy bleeding, bleeding between periods and any bleeding after menopause are not normal symptoms and should be evaluated.

Treatment options

Your physician will recommend treatment based on how much your symptoms affect you and on your personal and family medical history. Options include:

• Hormone therapy, the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats. For many healthy women who start it around the time of menopause, the benefits outweigh the risks. It is not suitable for everyone, and your physician will review this with you carefully.
• Non-hormonal prescription medications for hot flashes
• Low-dose vaginal estrogen and other treatments for vaginal dryness and discomfort
• Practical measures for sleep, exercise, nutrition and weight

Looking after your long-term health

The fall in estrogen after menopause affects the bones and the heart. Your care includes attention to bone density, blood pressure, cholesterol and cancer screening, so that the years after menopause are healthy ones.

Visiting Lenox OBGYN

Our office is at 203 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Most of our patients come to us from across the tri-state area, and many travel from other states and from abroad for their care. To make an appointment, use the booking button on this page or call 917-688-2624.

This page offers general information and is not medical advice. Your physician will advise you about your own situation.