Frequently Asked Questions What are the symptoms of menopause?
• Hot flashes Lack of a menstrual period Mood swings Skin dryness Vaginal dryness Changes in sexual desire Memory changes Causes • A gradual decrease of the hormones, estrogen and progesterone, produced in a female’s ovaries due to the normal aging process; onset can vary from the late 30’s to the early 50’s; in some women, symptoms persist in to old age. What treatments are available for menopause? Is Hormone Replacement Therapy safe? The harms of estrogen-progestin therapy are likely to outweigh the chronic disease prevention benefits for most women, BUT the absolute increase in risk from HRT is modest. Some women; depending on their risk characteristics and personal preferences, might decide that the benefits of taking HRT outweigh the potential harms. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Study showed for women aged 50 to 79 years (average age; 63 years), 10;000 women taking estrogen and progestin for 1 year might experience 7 additional CHD events, 8 more strokes, 8 more pulmonary e
