4 Common Activities that Trigger Hot Flashes

By now most people have at least heard about hormone replacement.  But how do you know if you need it?  Well, here are five distinct signs that hormone replacement could benefit you.

1. Hot Flashes – If you have ever had one, you KNOW what I am talking about.  When it feels like your entire body is going to ignite and you need to stand in front of the open freezer, you are experiencing a hot flash.  This is a sure sign that your hormones are changing, and you need to investigate hormone replacement.  You don’t have to put up with this…it can be fixed.
2. Night Sweats – Can sometimes go hand-in-hand with hot flashes but waking up with your nightgown soaking wet doesn’t have to be tolerated.  Not only is this a huge nuisance, it will inevitably interfere with your sleep, causing all the health issues that correspond with sleep deprivation as well.
3. Weight gain – Yes, getting “thicker around the middle” can be related to hormone imbalance.  Particularly for women, weight gain is usually in the abdominal area.  Thyroid can also play a role in weight gain and should be checked along with hormone labs.
4. Fatigue – Remember how much more energy you had when you were in your 20s?  Well, part of that energy was due to your increased hormone levels during that time.  Hormone replacement (in particular Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement) can help to replenish these hormone levels and get back the “pep in your step!”
5. Lack of Sex Drive – Don’t be afraid to admit it…you may be apathetic about sex.  Not really wanting or caring if you have sex is a sign that your hormones levels are declining.  Women need testosterone too (in much smaller doses than men) in order to help keep their sex drive active.  If you find yourself just not in the mood, you need to see a qualified hormone replacement doctor.  Believe me, your significant other will thank you.

There are multiple other signs and symptoms that hormone replacement can help alleviate.  However, if you currently have any one of these five, you should see a doctor.  A simple blood test can show the levels of all your hormones and thyroid.

Dr. Melissa Miskell is a bio-identical hormone replacement expert who has been practicing for 18 years, and is the Medical Director of Hormones by Design in Waco, Texas. Suzi Hancock is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner that will love to see you in our Waco office! Hormones by Design is currently accepting new patients at (254) 230-4225.

Although almost every woman learned about her menstrual cycle from other women in her life or in health class, menopause is rarely discussed even among the closest friends. With over 25 million search results for “symptoms of menopause” in Google, it is clear that most women seek information about menopause on the internet before turning to a doctor for confirmation.

For many women, the traits of menopause come as a gradual onset of slight body changes. Other women experience menopause like the last scene of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” with brilliant hot flashes or night sweats.

The most common signs reported by women in perimenopause are night sweats and hot flashes, but other physical warning signs can be hard to connect to menopause because most women experience these maladies throughout their lifetime.

Some of these menopause indicators include:

1. Fatigue: As mothers, wives and professionals, all women know fatigue as their friend every day, but the fatigue that comes with menopause is sometimes accompanied by a depression that makes the simple act of getting out of bed too much to accomplish. Suddenly, a woman can go from tired at the end of the day to completely without strength before the day even starts.
2. Breast Tenderness (or general changes): Any woman that has experienced her period knows the signs of breast tenderness. Like that favorite bra that will not fit right for a few days out of the month, breast tenderness is a constant indicator of menopause as well as PMS. Anytime breast changes are noted, a doctor should be consulted to rule our breast cancer, but breast tenderness at non-PMS times can be a suggestion by the body that menopause is on the way.
3. PMS: Notice that the letters do not change? Whether discussing pre-menstrual syndrome or perimenopause symptoms, the signs of menopause can mirror PMS. The first changes most women notice is a worsening of PMS mood swings, change in the length of periods or flow of periods, and an on-going inability to focus.
   Lower Sex Drive: All women encounter times when they are just “not in the mood;” however, by their mid-thirties, most women know themselves enough sexually to know when their sex drive shifts. If a woman goes from “not tonight” to not in recent memory, especially in a relationship where intimacy usually exists, then a lower sex drive might be a signal of menopause.
4. Bladder Leakage: With the decrease of Estrogen and other female hormones, women sometimes experience bladder leakage when laughing, coughing, or sneezing. While sending women searching for the middle ground between a maxi-pad and Depends, bladder leakage can be an indicator that menopause is around the corner.
5. Vaginal Dryness: As Estrogen declines, many women experience vaginal dryness due to the thinning of the vaginal walls and decrease in lubrication as a part of their journey into menopause. Sometimes, the decrease in lubrication can lead to painful sexual intercourse, which may in turn trigger low sex drive.

The easiest way to determine if the symptoms are indicators of perimenopause or the onset of menopause is to visit a doctor and have your blood tested. Many women put off visiting a BHRT doctor, who specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement, once they notice the indicators because they are embarrassed or concerned about the next step.

The best way to find out the truth is to make an appointment with a qualified healthcare provider that specializes in BHRT to guide you through each step of menopause and help maintain your current quality of life.