When I turned 50 years young a few years ago, I shouted it from the rooftops. I’m fond of saying that fifty is the new 50! Talking about menopause is not just professional for me. It’s personal. I know exactly how you feel about turning 50, and I’m here to reveal that it will be great! So let’s take a deep dive into menopause and learn about some options to manage symptoms.
Menopause is a natural part of aging. It starts with perimenopause, as ovarian estrogen production begins to fluctuate and then decline, and menstrual periods become irregular. The average age of menopause is 51, but there is a wide age range from 40-58. Once a woman has gone a whole year without a menstrual cycle, she has officially joined the Menopause Club. That’s a perfect time to take charge of your health and deal with symptoms.
My patients often ask, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” The answer is absolutely “Yes!” During perimenopause and menopause, women will experience many bothersome symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep issues, fatigue, brain fogginess, weight gain, mood changes, vaginal dryness and overall aches and pains, just to name a few. Hot flashes are the most common menopause symptom and over 75% of US women will feel the heat. That’s a lot of hot women!
The first strategy to manage symptoms is also the most important. It starts with a healthy diet, daily exercise, maintenance of a normal weight and good sleep habits. When it comes to hot flashes, there is a new non-hormonal, non prescription option called EQUELLE, which is a supplement clinically shown to reduce the frequency of hot flashes associated with menopause.†
The active ingredient in EQUELLE is S-equol, which is naturally derived from a plant compound in soy. S-equol shares a similar structure to estrogen and binds to select estrogen receptors in the body which is how it helps alleviate hot flashes and muscle aches associated with menopause.S-equol is well-studied with many years of research safety and efficacy data. In clinical trials women saw results in as few as four weeks, with optimal results in 8 to 12 weeks.
by Tara Allmen, MD
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This content was originally published here.
