I work for a company that makes a natural herbal based menopause relief formula. It's got ashwagandha (sensoril), HMRlignan, vitamins, and minerals. I'm around a 30 year old male so I haven't tried it, but what I'm reading makes it seem pretty good because it's non-hormone based and ashwagandha seems like a pretty good adaptogen to use overall. My personal feeling, again as a man, is that menopause should not be painful and difficult and my mother said that she didn't have a bad time other than night sweats but she doesn't really associate that with menopause. She was a very healthy eater though and always had a rich garden of greens she'd eat from and was active and not overweight. As a nutritionist, I believe that most problems people are facing are from general lifestyle mis-steps such as not eating enough fruits and vegetables, not sleeping enough, not exercising enough, and being stressed. I would look at those areas before self-diagnosing myself as suffering from any malady because those are much more impactful than anything else. I hope that helps, David

I have a hard time remembering--imagine THAT--exactly when I started into peri-meno... I think it was around 1995.. it was almost like I woke up one morning and the term "Change of life" had a whole new meaning..Life as I had known it, had certainly changed alright...nothing was the same..I had these overwhelming feelings of impending doom... just knew everything was going to make me DIE..anxiety attacks 24/7.. knew I had cancer in various places, detached retina..that one was a bout with ocular migraines... vertigo---KNEW that one was a brain tumour..blood pressure sky rocketed... heart palps... cholesterol jumped... hot flashes..phantom cramps..flooding.. then nothing for months then floods..and about a gazillion other things including, but not limited to hair in places I didn't want it and none in places I did... looking back, I guess I was/am one of the "lucky" ones... most of these symptoms were brought under control fairly quickly with a combination of diet, exercise, supplements ( B 100 complex, vit E, and a calcium/ magnesium).. and a better understanding of what was happening to my body...and how THAT affected my emotions and mind..for instance the B vitamins help regulate your hormones.. stress will deplete the body of them...was I stressed? you betcha... also I stumbled across an article about breathing correctly, and realized that much of the time I was stressed out, I was either holding my breath or breathng completely wrong.. thus contributing to the endless cycle of anxiety... learning to stop looking at everything as a huge outside force that was going to KILL me also helped LOL. that came by getting out and DOING things.. getting some fresh air and thinking about other things..I had gotten pretty self-posessed. Little by little the symptoms faded and I was left with a larger bra size, a few (?) extra pounds, still those pesky chin hairs.. an occasional hot flash..although almost NEVER in the winter when I could have used them...and the begining of an appreciation for this next chapter in life.. I just passed the "official "17 months bleed free, so I guess that means I'm there..I was able to go through these years without the benefit(?) of HRT.. but I realize that everyone is different and for some women HRT is the answer to getting through this time... what ever works is my belief.. nothing is written in stone on this one.. except I think the basics... drink plenty of water, get some form of exercise daily, get sleep when you can--I started taking naps again--and find somethng to laugh about often..seriously..laughing releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel better.. might be something to the old addage.."Laugh all your troubles away".. hang in there ..there is light at the end of the tunnel... sorry this ended up being so long, I do tend to run on sometimes.. Judy

Hi ladies! Glad to see I'm not alone. I had an endometrial ablation July, '07. (stopped my periods) I'm 49 now and for the past month I have been having what I think are hot flashes. All of a sudden I'll feel very warm from my chest up. My face and neck get red to the point that people have been asking me what's wrong. I just laugh and tell them it's a hot flash! I average one per hour. I noticed when I had my physical a few months back that my blood pressure has increased also. I'm usually a very, very, good low. Now, I have prehypertension. It never hit me, but I have suffered from migraines the last ten years. (never had a headache in my life) My dr. thought they were just menstrual migraines, but now I think they were due to perimenopause. Good Grief!! Anymore, my skin is so dry (my hands snag clothing), I can't concentrate, I'm forgetful. I take Lexapro for PMDD, (guess I really don't have that anymore either!) which could be why I am not experiencing severe mood swings. My appetite seems to have lessened in the past six months also. I've lost about 15 lbs., and am now down to 132 lbs., which I am very proud of. lol Here it goes! I'm having a hot flash as I'm typing this!!!! Does this sound like Menopause to anyone other than me? (I have no one in my family to compare to. My mom went through an extremely early menopause at 35. Weird. My sister had a hysterectomy at 32 and has been on hormones since. She is now 52.) Thanks!

To deal with postmenopause symptoms you can look into Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, the treatment focuses on replacing your bodies natural hormones to prevent disease or illness, it can also help with symptoms. However if you are still experiencing symptoms it would be related to 1) your health 2) your body weight 3) your activity/ lifestyle. I have seen so many women in postmenopausal who are experiencing symptoms still, overcome them through simple diet/ activity and lifestyle adjustment. Here is a great facebook group I came across that focuses on helping women going through menopause (pre, peri, full and post) lose weight and overcome other symptoms. https://www.facebook.com/groups/638415073016681/