Is It Hot in Here? or Is It Me?

by Wingert, Pat; Kantrowitz, Barbara; Healy, Bernadine

• ISBN13: 9780761138082
• ISBN10: 0761138080
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-30
• Publisher: Workman Pub Co

Summary

The menopause transition-so often mysterious-varies greatly from woman to woman. Finally, here is the one book that makes the full scope of it accessible and understood. It covers the role of hormones and the controversy over hormone therapy. The truth about hot flashes . . . and how to deal with one in the middle of a meeting. A top-to-bottom assessment of the aches, pains, and assorted ills that can afflict menopausal women. The impact on sexuality, and how to counteract that wavering libido. (Yes, it's possible to buy a sex toy without the neighbors-or the children- finding out.) There are chapters on memory (how to protect it), moods (how to ride them out), and sleep (how to get it). And then an entire section on using this period as a springboard to staying healthy, feeling great, and looking beautiful for the next act in your life. A complete approach to losing middle-age weight (and tips on finding jeans that will make you look as if you've had a tummy tuck). The essential exercises to keep bones strong. Dealing with dry skin and thinning hair. Habits (and recipes) to begin to encourage heart health now.

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
Bernadine Healy
Why We Wrote This Book	xi
PART I The Basics	1	(52)
What's Happening?	3	(22)
Mirror images: the beginning and end of menstruation
When does the menopause transition begin?
The stages of menopause
The different kinds of menopause (natural, induced, early)
Menopause in the animal world
How long does it take? Can it be temporary?
Hormones and your reproductive life
Are you out of eggs?
What's normal and what's not
Do menopause tests work?
Can menopause be reversed?
The pill and perimenopause
Late pregnancies
Estrogen in your body after menopause
An ending and a beginning
The Hormone Question	25	(28)
All about estrogen
A primer: pills, creams, patches, shots, bioidenticals
A history of hormone therapy and how it came to be part of every doctor's arsenal
The importance of the Women's Health Initiative
The dilemma of contradicting studies
How to understand news about medical research
Why you might still want to try hormones and what you need to know to make your decision
When is the best time to start hormones?
Hormone therapy and cancer: What are the risks?
Does estrogen cause weight gain or make you look younger?
Alternative treatments that might help and some that don't
Plus: Case studies of five women who made the decision
PART II What You're Feeling Now	53	(198)
Hot Flashes	55	(16)
How and why you get them
Anatomy of a flash
Why some women are frequent flashers and others never break a sweat
How to feel better with and without drugs
Hot flash fashions
Do fat women flash more than skinny ones?
What if it's not menopause?
How long will a hot flash last?
How hot is a hot flash?
Why do you shiver afterwards?
The ``emergency'' kit every working menopausal woman should keep in her desk drawer
Tracking triggers
Does exercise help or hurt?
Can antidepressants work?
Relief without an Rx
Sleep	71	(22)
Why insomnia often strikes now
The role of estrogen
Snoring: a sign of trouble?
Common sleep disorders
How to finally get the rest you need
Setting the mood for sleep
Why a glass of wine before bed won't do the trick
Foods that can keep you up and ones that make you sleepy
Is it depression?
Sex before bed (or not)
Why you're beating a path to the bathroom
Keeping a sleep diary
Physical problems that rob you of sleep
Hot and cold couples
The role of exercise
Sleeping pills and natural remedies
Sex	93	(42)
The rise and fall of libido
How to improve your sex life
Body changes that can make sex more painful
Getting expert help
Sex toys and where to buy them
Hormone therapy and libido
Why orgasm can be elusive
New thinking on women and sexual dysfunction
What you need to know about testosterone
Could Viagra be the answer?
Better-than-ever orgasms
The thrill is gone, and that's fine with me
How to fix lubrication problems
The connection between allergies and vaginal dryness
Vaginal estrogen cream and your partner
Alternative treatments
Yeast infections and how to fight them
Starting to date again
Why contraception and safe sex still matter
The right way to Kegel
Bleeding during sex
The depression-sex connection
Hysrercetomy and sex drive
Chemo and libido
Sex after radiation
What's in the medicine chest?
What if it's his problem, not yours?
What you need to know about sexually transmitted diseases
Bleeding	135	(26)
Irregular bleeding and how you know when you need to go to the doctor
What does heavy bleeding really mean?
Causes of irregular bleeding
Could it be cancer?
Fibroids and how to treat them
What you can expect at the doctor's office
How to talk to your doctor about bleeding problems
What you should know about the newest procedures and medications
Should you worry about anemia?
Is the pill the answer?
Nonhormonal treatments that may work
Sex and bleeding
The pros and cons of hysterectomies
Should you try and keep your ovaries?
Why your uterus may be falling and what to do about it
Postmenopausal bleeding: a primer
Aches and Pains	161	(32)
A top-to-bottom compendium
Menstrual migraines and morning headaches: What they mean and new treatments for both
Burning mouth syndrome
What your gums reveal about your hormone levels
Thyroid problems: too much and too little
Can low thyroid make you fat?
To treat or not to treat: the debate over thyroid therapy
Torn rotator cuff
Frozen shoulder
Breast tenderness
Morning stiffness
Joints 101
Beating arthritis
Talking to your doctor about incontinence
Foot problems and buying shoes that fit
Moods and Emotions	193	(34)
Singing the menopause blues?
The hormone/mood connection
The depression spectrum
Lowering your risk for mood disorders
PMS, perimenopause, and depression: Are they linked?
Hot flashes, sleep, and mood
The role of stress and how to manage it
Toxic marriages
Cultural influences on mood at menopause
Thyroid disease and depression
The science of happiness
Evaluating different treatments
Can you Botox your troubles away?
Rx: a new job?
Help! Antidepressants are killing my libido
Can hormone therapy help?
Could progesterone be the problem?
Bipolar disorder and hormone therapy
Anxiety disorders at midlife
Why you may be more vulnerable to panic attacks
Could it be more than depression?
Late-onset schizophrenia
Will schizophrenia worsen?
Thinking and Memory	227	(24)
The anatomy of your brain at midlife
Types of memory problems
Feeling out-to-lunch during the menopause transition
What is Alzheimer's?
Depression and memory
Common causes of memory loss
Hot flashes and concentration
ADD in adults
Chemo brain
Losing your car keys: a sign of Alzheimer's?
The role of stress
Hormones and dementia: what we've learned from the Women's Health Initiative
Reading problems
Surgical menopause and memory
Maintain your brain
Strategies for improving memory
How exercise helps your body and your mind
What's diet got to do with it?
The importance of being social
Mind games
PART III Staying Healthy Forever	251	(196)
Bones	253	(40)
Estrogen loss and weak bones
Getting your daughter to build bone mass now
Getting tested
Who's at greatest risk for osteoporosis?
Calcium: from food or supplements?
Why vitamin D matters
You can be too thin
The role of race and ethnicity
Teeth and bones
Inside your medicine chest: medications for bone health
Do statins and cancer drugs protect bones?
Concern about radiation
Alternative treatments
Is heredity destiny?
Exercises to strengthen your bones and improve flexibility and balance
Eyes and Ears	293	(22)
When did the menu print get so small, and why is everybody mumbling?
Dry eyes
Estrogen, testosterone, and your eyes
Buying reading glasses that don't look frumpy: a guide
Behind your specs: makeup tips
Do you need bifocals?
Why nighttime driving has gotten harder
Sun exposure and eye health
Preserving your vision as you get older
Hormone therapy and hearing loss
How loud is too loud?
Alternatives to visible hearing aids
Turn down your iPod!
Heart	315	(20)
The #1 killer of women
Why your symptoms may be different from his
Cholesterol 101
Risk factors for heart disease
Estimating your risk and how to lower it
The controversial role of hormone therapy
Using the new food labels
Antioxidants and free radicals
Exercise, exercise, exercise
How heart disease affects your whole body
Cancer	335	(42)
What you need to know about breast, ovarian, endomentrial, cervical, lung, colorectal, bladder, vulvar, vaginal cancer
Keeping an eye out for symptoms
Hormones and cancer: where they meet
Cancer detectives: maximizing the benefits of mammograms, Pap tests, colonoscopies
The effect of menopause and age on your risk profile
Why pregnancy and breast feeding protect against breast cancer
Does the pill make a difference?
Is hormone therapy an option after cancer?
Hormone therapy and cancer: a mixed bag
What you should know about breast self-examinations
When is it a tumor and when is it just a cyst?
What you can do to improve your odds
Lowering your risk by losing weight
The pros and cons of progesterone
The search for an effective ovarian cancer screen
The cervical cancer vaccine and what it means for you
Dealing with menopause and cancer at the same time
Diet and Exercise	377	(46)
Does BMI matter?
Good fats and bad fats
Can supplements keep you healthy?
Why your belly is suddenly bigger
Battling bloated portions
Dairy and dieting
Vegetarians and menopause
The myths and realities: from blueberries to chocolate
How to lose weight at midlife
Exercises and recipes to keep you fit and strong into your 80s and beyond
Looking Good	423	(24)
Aging skin
Looking younger longer
Assessing sun damage
Smoking and premature aging
Are high-priced skin creams worth the extra money?
Adult acne
Hormone therapy and wrinkles
Makeup tips
Nail health
Fixing varicose veins
Bust boosters
Buying a bra that really fits
Less hair on your head, more on your chin: what to do
Endnote	447	(4)
Appendix I	451	(26)
Appendix II	477	(14)
Acknowledgments	491	(8)
Index	499

Excerpts

What's Happening? Your last period was shorter than usual. Or maybe it was longer. Somehow, the flow seemed a little different. It could be nothing- or it could be the first sign that you've entered perimenopause, the years before your last menstrual period. A few lucky women have regular periods to the end and then, almost overnight, no more tampons. But for most of us the transition takes four to six years. The journey may be marked by subtle changes that only the most attuned woman would notice, or it can be a bumpy ride. If it's the latter, you may struggle with a variety of symptoms: irregular bleeding, hot flashes, sleep problems, moodiness. You may wonder if you'll ever feel like your old self again. Understanding what's going on with your body is the first step toward being back in control. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Remember when you were 13 and your girlfriends shared their complaints of menstrual aches and pains with you? Around that time, you probably realized that not everyone's periods were the same. After the initial shock of menstruating passed, some of your girlfriends hardly noticed a thing. Some got on a regular schedule pretty quickly, while others were so erratic they never knew when their "friend" would surprise them. Others were constantly popping aspirin for cramps, while a few of your pals were really troubled by premenstrual syndrome and were difficult to live with for about a week each month. Lots of other girls fell somewhere in between. In some respects, menopause is back to the future, because it often includes many of the same experiences in as wide a variation as menstruation. Just look at the chart on the facing page, and you'll see how little difference there is between the cycles of early menstruation and those of the menopause transition. Natural menopause starts without your intervention; that's why it's sometimes described as "spontaneous." You might detect the first subtle hints of what's coming (slight changes in menstrual duration and flow) 10 or more years before your periods stop. As you get closer to the end of your reproductive years, the timing may become more unpredictable and the level of flow may be unusually heavy or almost nothing at all. Some women experience problems like hot flashes (overwhelming waves of heat), night sweats, sleeplessness, less lubrication when sexually aroused, and moodiness as their hormone levels become increasingly erratic. All of these experiences are considered normal. You won't know for sure that you've reached menopause until you go a full year without a period. This can happen at any age from 40 to 58, although the average age is 51.4 years. A few women don't reach menopause until they're in their 60s. Induced menopause, which can occur at any time after puberty, describes what happens to a woman whose periods have stopped because of some outside intervention such as chemotherapy, pelvic radiation, or the removal of both ovaries (sometimes as part of a hysterectomy). With chemotherapy and radiation, the perimenopausal transition can last for months. Sometimes fertility ends immediately. The most common type of induced menopause is surgical menopause, which occurs when both ovaries are removed. As a result, your body's main source of natural estrogen disappears immediately. This abrupt drop in hormones increases the likelihood that you'll experience menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and verbal memory problems. Premature (or early) menopause refers to any type of menopause (natural or induced) that occurs before age 40. While rare, premature menopause puts women at greater risk for bone loss. TIMING IS EVERYTHING Q. I was surprised to learn that natural menopause typically occurs between the ages of 40 and 58. That seems like a really wide time span. What determines whether it happens early