Menstruation following menopause

April 7, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am 51 years old and stopped getting my period 21 months ago. All of a sudden this last month I had excruciating lower back pain and then started bleeding lightly. My GYN said it was probably just because I was a little heavy but he did extensive testing only to find nothing abnormal. In your opinion, is being a little heavy cause for me to get my period after 21 months? I have never heard of anyone going through this before.

DEAR READER: Irregular menstrual cycles can occur for a number of reasons, to include the use of specific medications, stress, lifestyle changes, vigorous exercise, eating disorders, weight loss or gain, current medical conditions, thinning of the tissues lining the uterus, and overall health. A cycle can vary from woman to woman when it comes to regularity or irregularity, [Read more...]

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Weight gain may be due to menopause

March 26, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 57-year-old post-menopausal woman. I have been gaining weight despite the fact that my diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, eating meat as a condiment rather than the main event, drinking lots of water and getting regular exercise. Several times a week I bicycle 12 miles, walk three miles a day and use the stairs to my 4th floor office. Despite all this, I continue to gain weight. Is there a supplement I should consider taking or something else I should be doing? Until my mid-40s, I was slim and fit.

DEAR READER: My first thought for your weight gain was menopause. In the peri-menopause phase leading up to menopause, symptoms can include vaginal dryness, decreased fertility, irregular periods, mood swings, thinning hair, loss of breast fullness, hot flashes, sleep disturbances, [Read more...]

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Are symptoms due to perimenopause or thyroid?

September 8, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 45-year-old female. I have two children, ages 10 and 7, and I’m in good physical condition. I exercise regularly, eat well, take a multivitamin and calcium supplement, and never miss my annual OB/gyn checkup and mammogram.

My problem is my hair has been thinning for about two years, and I don’t know how to stop or reverse it. My dermatologist dismissed it (took a blood test but never examined my scalp) as female pattern baldness, although no other females in my family seem to suffer from it (the men do, however). All my blood tests came back normal.
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Irregular menses a cause for concern

May 20, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I just had my menstrual cycle on my birthday last month and now have it again. Can you please explain to me what’s wrong?

DEAR READER: I will attempt to respond to your question in a general manner because you do not provide enough information in your letter.

A menstrual cycle is not the same for every woman. Generally speaking, it occurs every 28 days and lasts between four to seven days. Variation in flow, regularity and more are extremely common in young women just starting their cycles, as well as in women approaching menopause. [Read more...]

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On entering perimenopause

November 12, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m 48 years old and just had what appeared to be a hot flash. Does this mean I’m going through menopause? My menstrual cycle has been sort of regular, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for this next phase in my life.

DEAR READER: Menopause occurs only after a woman stops menstruating completely for 12 months. My guess is you have perimenopause, a stage that precedes menopause. This occurs because your body is not producing hormones as it did before. It generally consists of irregular cycles. They may be more frequent, shorter in length, lighter, or you may skip a month or two only to return to a normal monthly pattern. You may experience hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes or periods of poor concentration. [Read more...]

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Bee pollen helps reader with night sweats

October 12, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your column. Two years ago, I had been suffering from night sweats owing to perimenopause, and your column advised taking bee pollen. I tried it, and within just a few days, my night sweats all but disappeared. I kept taking the bee pollen (1,000 milligrams daily) for a few months and then stopped, thinking I didn’t need it anymore. Several months passed with no sweats, but recently they began again, as well as periodic daytime hot flashes. I went back on the bee pollen and, again, after just a few days, I don’t have any more sweating, day or night! I just wanted to pass this on to you and your readers, and to thank you, again, for your wonderful advice.

DEAR READER: Thank you for your kind comments. I am happy to have helped.
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Menopausal woman can’t sleep

August 21, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been going through menopause for the past seven years and have made it through the difficult phase. However, I have a problem staying asleep. I fall asleep most of the time with no problem but will stay asleep for about two hours. Then I can’t fall asleep again. Do you have a solution to this problem other than using estrogen?

DEAR READER: As you are aware, hormonal changes occur during menopause. Those changes can produce symptoms of insomnia that can range from transient and temporary to chronic and annoying. A woman actually goes through three phases: perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. During the first stage, estrogen levels can decline, resulting in abnormal cycles, hot flashes and temporary insomnia. Menopause occurs when a woman has remained free of a cycle for 12 months. [Read more...]

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Perimenopause precedes menopause

June 2, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 43-year-old female with irregular periods. When I finally went to my doctor, he told me that I have perimenopause. Can you tell me what this is?

DEAR READER: Simply put, perimenopause is an introduction to menopause. It commonly occurs when a female is in her 40s, but can happen to some women in their mid-30s. It generally lasts between two to eight years and is a natural part of the aging process. Estrogen levels rise and fall in an erratic pattern, and women may experience problems sleeping, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood changes and more. Repeated menstrual irregularity, however, is one of the most widely recognized initial phases of the condition. As long as the irregularity isn’t accompanied by extremely heavy bleeding, breakthrough bleeding between cycles, bleeding that lasts longer than eight days and cycles that occur fewer than 21 days apart, you can usually consider things as progressing normally. However, complications outside these guidelines should be brought to your primary-care physician’s or gynecologist’s attention.
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Chills in summer vex reader

May 29, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have cold chills all the time. Even in the summer, I wear long sleeves and pants while others are wearing shorts. It started about five years ago, when my father was dying in the hospital. I thought I may have picked up a virus while visiting, but it hasn’t gone away. I don’t take any meds, don’t smoke, I am healthy, and my thyroid is OK. The doctors can’t explain it. My nose is red all the time, and people tease me and say I drink too much, but I don’t drink at all. I get goose bumps, and the hair stands up on my arms. I’m a 52-year-old female.

Is it possible to be having cold chills instead of hot flashes? I hope you can help me.
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Hormone-replacement therapy has risks, benefits

March 25, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Please give some advice on hormone-replacement therapy. I am 52 and have been married to my second husband for nearly 10 years. We have enjoyed a wonderful intimate relationship, but now, as I approach menopause, I feel that I am losing interest, and I don’t want that to happen.

I have friends who rave about what hormone-replacement therapy has done for them. I’m interested but not comfortable discussing the topic with my male doctor.

DEAR READER: As a woman enters menopause, the ovaries decrease production of both estrogen and progesterone. This reduction causes menstruation and fertility to ultimately cease. Common side effects of menopause include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings and more.
[Read more...]

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