Variety of options available to ease symptoms of menopause

All women must deal with menopause at some point, but the symptoms and the amount of time they last varies from person to person.

When a woman reaches her 40s or 50s, the body slows production of the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The transition can take years, and the classic side effects of menopause are vaginal dryness, night sweats, mood swings, hot flashes, insomnia, lowered sex drive, irritability, agitation and difficulty with weight loss, says Dr. Michael Jessup, an OB/GYN at Elite Woman in Cape Girardeau.

Jessup begins looking at hormone levels in his patients around their early 40s. Premarin and Estradiol are two of the most common and effective hormone replacements, he says.Bio-identical hormones are an alternative to traditional hormone replacement treatment.

At Vitality Clinic in Cape Girardeau, patients fill out an online form and then meet with Dr. Judee Gaeta to discuss symptoms and options for treatment. A saliva sample is taken to determine hormone levels and what can be done to alleviate symptoms.

"It's a more natural approach to traditional hormone replacement therapy and it's tailor-made for your body," says Myra Bax, director of business development at Vitality. "Bio-identical hormones are derived from yams and soybeans and are chemically altered in a laboratory to look and behave like the chemicals that are already produced in your body."

Treatments come in the form of a gel, cream, suppository or tablet that dissolves on the tongue.

The amount of time a woman spends on hormone replacement therapy varies depending on her symptoms and how long they last. Ideally, a woman would need treatment for no more than five years, says Jessup -- but if she starts menopause in her 40s and still has symptoms in her 50s and 60s, that could amount to 15 or more years on hormone replacement. The jury is still out on how long it is safe to take hormones, says Jessup.

Some studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer in women who take hormone replacements.

"It's hard to put a significance on it because (menopausal) symptoms are debilitating as well," says Jessup. "There is a small risk, but most of my patients come to the conclusion that it's worth the risk."

There are also a number of hormone replacement options available over the counter. However, Abe Funk, pharmacist at John's Pharmacy in Cape Girardeau, has found few that he feels are safe or effective.

"Most over-the-counter products are very high estrogen-based, and if you have too much estrogen in you, you'll feel fine for a little while and feel worse later on," he says. "Your receptors get used to it and you continually need more and more of the drug to feel the beneficial effects of it."

Funk also worries about the products that profess to be all-natural. Many people assume if a bottle says the product is herbal or all-natural, it must be OK -- but these products are not very well regulated, and they can be dangerous.

"Every drug has side effects, and you have to be aware," he says. "Every foreign substance you put in your body can do harm."

While Funk doesn't recommend many over-the-counter products for hormone replacement, he says there are plenty of good prescription options out there. He frequently meets with women to talk about their menopausal symptoms and their goals in treatment. Together, he says, they can find the exact drug or combination of drugs to treat menopausal symptoms.

"They are not alone and it's a very normal and typical process they're going through," says Funk. "Many times when I meet with women, they feel like they're the oddball out, but the things I hear from them are the same thing I hear from other women I'm meeting with. Recognize that you're not the outlier -- that's what most people are going through."