The average healthy woman begins menopause at 51, though some women will begin in their 40s or in their late 50s. It’s a natural biological process that marks the time a woman ends her menstrual cycle.
Mood swings, hot flashes and difficulty sleeping are common symptoms that can be effectively managed with hormone therapy. Lifestyle changes can also help relieve these temporary symptoms, says Dr. Denise Millstine, a physician from Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Center.
Hormone therapy may help women who struggle with hot flashes, sleep disruptions and other menopausal symptoms. However, this treatment comes with side effects, and it is not for everybody.
“Many women are not candidates to take hormone therapy, like women who have a diagnosis of breast cancer. But in a woman who’s taking hormone therapy and still having symptoms, lifestyle management can also be effective,” Millstine says.