Headaches? Your Doctor Can Help You More Than You Think

Postmenopausal? Problems You Will Face And What To Do About Them

Menopause means no menstrual periods, which is a benefit to most women. If you have gone through menopause and are now considered postmenopausal, a lot of the hard work is over for you. You should notice your energy returning and you will start to feel better. There are still problems you can have post menopause, however. To help you with this, below are some problems you may face and what you can do about them.

Osteoporosis

As you get older your bones can become fragile and brittle. This is due to loss of tissue that can happen because of hormonal changes in your body as well as a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium. If you have this problem, you can easily get fractures. These fractures often happen in the hip or the back. Fortunately, you can take steps now to prevent osteoporosis or greatly reduce your chances of having it.

Your doctor can give you a bone density test to determine how healthy your bones are. This test involves taking special x-rays of your bones. The x-ray used in this type of test is different than a traditional x-ray. This is because a small amount of radiation is used in the x-ray to determine the bone density.

Menopause can cause osteoporosis because your estrogen levels drop drastically. The doctor can help you with this by prescribing you estrogen hormones, also known as hormone replacement therapy. There are also several types of medication that you can take to help prevent osteoporosis or help if you already have it.

Painful Sex

When you start going through menopause, the walls of your uterus dry out and thin. This will not go away even after you are postmenopausal. This can make sex very painful for you. There are over-the-counter lubricants that you can use to help with this problem. These lubricants can be messy, however.

If you would like to use something else, the doctor can prescribe vaginal estrogen. This will build up the walls in your vagina and the dryness will go away. Vaginal estrogen comes in either cream or pill form. You use a special applicator to insert the hormone into your vagina.

There is also a device that works much like an IUD. Instead of preventing pregnancy, this device releases a small amount of estrogen each day. You will have to have the device removed by your doctor every few months.

For more information, contact local professionals like those found at Radius.


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