Menopause health management methods

Those with mild symptoms should prioritize lifestyle adjustments. Those with moderate discomfort can choose non-hormonal intervention options. People with severe symptoms and no contraindications can use hormone supplementation therapy under the guidance of a doctor. The core goal of all programs is to improve the quality of life, not "anti-aging."

I was particularly impressed by the sister Zhang I met at the clinic last week. She is a 48-year-old middle-level employee. When she came up, she took out half a bottle of soy isoflavones and slapped it on the table. She said that she had been following the online health advice for three months, but her hot flashes were not getting better. Last month, during a physical examination, it was found that her breast nodules had increased from category II to category III. She was extremely anxious. In fact, I meet more than a dozen people every month who follow this kind of chaotic and unified plan. Everyone always thinks that menopause is caused by a "lack of estrogen" and they can just take supplements, completely forgetting about individual differences.

At present, there are actually two mainstream tendencies in menopausal intervention in the industry. There is no absolute right or wrong, but they are suitable for different groups: one is doctors in the field of gynecological endocrinology, who prefer the idea of ​​​​"supplementing what is missing". They believe that as long as there are no hormone-related contraindications, the benefits of low-dose supplementation of natural estrogen far outweigh the risks, and can effectively improve core problems such as hot flashes, osteoporosis, and vaginal atrophy.； The other type is practitioners of natural medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. They prefer to use plant extracts, lifestyle adjustments, meridian conditioning and other programs to avoid the potential impact of exogenous hormones on the body. They are more suitable for people with family histories of breast tumors and endometrial lesions.

Many people always try to deal with symptoms when they first appear, especially working women over 45. They are afraid of being said to be "emotionally unstable due to age". They pretend to be calm when their backs get hot and wet in the middle of a meeting. They can't sleep all night and still try to catch up on the plan. What was originally just a mild symptom that occurs once or twice a week turns into fluctuations in blood pressure and emotional loss. In fact, you don’t need to take medicine for this level of discomfort. Just replace your afternoon milk tea with warm flaxseed soy milk, walk briskly around the neighborhood for 20 minutes after get off work every day, and stop worrying about your child’s education. Most people will be able to recover within a week or two. Oh, by the way, people have always asked whether soy isoflavones are useful or not. The current evidence-based medicine conclusion is that the effect on Asian women is indeed better than that on European and American women, and it can probably reduce the symptoms of hot flashes by about 30%, but the premise is that you do not have a history of breast nodules or endometrial hyperplasia, otherwise taking supplements indiscriminately may cause problems.

If your symptoms have reached the point where you have hot flashes five or six times a week, you get angry for no apparent reason even after talking to your family and colleagues, your period has not come for two or three months, and you have checked your hormones and found that your follicle-stimulating hormone has risen to over 40IU/L, don’t just rely on drinking soy milk. For such moderate symptoms, you can try black cohosh extract, which is currently used in clinical practice, or you can find a regular Chinese medicine clinic for acupuncture, or take some dialectical Chinese patent medicines. Of course, there are many Western doctors who think that the effects of traditional Chinese medicine are not clear, but I once met a retired university teacher who refused to take hormones. He took acupuncture and Baduanjin twice a week for three months. When he came back for a follow-up visit, he said that he could now sit down and reason with his wife calmly when quarreling with his wife, and the number of hot flashes had dropped to once or twice a week.

If you have been through menopause for two or three years and are constantly suffering from waist and leg pain, joint pain, or even vaginal dryness, recurrent urinary tract infections, inability to sleep all night, and a tendency to depression, then you should no longer resist hormone treatment. Many people are terrified when they hear the word "hormone" and think they will get breast cancer. In fact, the low-dose natural hormones currently used are very safe for 3-5 years as long as you have no family history of breast cancer, no abnormal endometrial hyperplasia, and normal liver function. The International Menopause Society's guidelines have been updated many times. This benefit is much higher than if you suffer from insomnia every day, suffer from high blood pressure, and suffer from osteoporosis and fractures. I once had a 52-year-old patient who couldn't even go downstairs after 3 years of menopause. He refused to take hormones at first. After an evaluation, there were no contraindications. After using it for half a year, he now goes square dancing with his little sisters every day. The last time he checked, his bone density increased by 0.1 units.

To be honest, many people feel uncomfortable during menopause, partly due to hormones and partly due to mentality. It’s just in time for my children to go to college and leave home, and I’m taking some time off. I’m already sensitive to hormone fluctuations, and if I suddenly lose the focus of my life, it’s easy to get into trouble. At this time, don't force yourself to be a "sensible mother" or "virtuous grandma". If you don't want to cook, go out to eat. If you don't want to take care of the grandchildren, just tell your children directly. Signing up for a flower arrangement class or going out with a group is more useful than eating ten boxes of Xiaoyao Pills.

In the final analysis, menopause is not a "scourge of aging" at all. It is just a normal physiological stage like menstruation in adolescence, pregnancy and childbirth. There is no need to be afraid, and there is no need to bear it. Only you know whether it is comfortable or not. Don't just follow the trend and buy Internet celebrity health products. Find a reliable doctor to do a comprehensive evaluation and choose a plan that you can accept. Just do whatever is comfortable for you.