The Silent Menace of Menopause

Let me tell you a secret about menopause. It’s not about hot flashes, skipped periods, sleeplessness or irritability although those are indeed the common symptoms of the change of life. Doctors can treat those symptoms effectively with a wide range of treatments as they come and go exhibiting both mild and severe characteristics unique to each woman’s experience of menopause.

The constellation of symptoms that women usually identify as “Menopause” masks the fundamental truth of what is really going on in a woman’s body. The silent menace of menopause is vaginal atrophy resulting in sexual dysfunction that may begin as early as forty years old and continues unabated into the senior years. This is true for all women.

At menopause the production of the hormone estrogen declines and the tissues of the vagina that previously relied on estrogen to create soft, moist skin are no longer being produced. After menopause begins, these tissues begin to dry out making sex painful, difficult or impossible. These changes are subtle and take place over a long period of time; making them hard to see for what they are. As a result women frequently attribute the symptoms of vaginal atrophy with yeast infections, loss of libido or temporary dryness. As sexual dysfunction becomes more established, a woman’s desire fades as sex is no longer pleasurable and orgasms become difficult to achieve. This is the reality of menopause. Left untreated all women will eventually become sexually dysfunctional and increasingly prone to infection. Vaginal deterioration is inevitable; it is progressive and starts with the onset of menopause. By the time a woman has hot flashes she already has vaginal atrophy.

Chasing after symptoms like hot flashes does nothing to prevent the degradation of vaginal health. The outward, troubling effects of menopause like sleeplessness etc., can be treated effectively with a wide range of beneficial medications. However, while those symptoms may improve, lessen or go away, vaginal atrophy continues year after year eventually resulting in the complete loss of sexual function. In the senior years vaginal tissue becomes increasingly dry, thin and prone to bladder and vaginal infections that can have a major impact on overall health and quality of life.

Treating menopause therefore means keeping and maintaining vaginal health as the highest priority as a woman experiences the decades long process of menopause. There are many safe, effective treatments with different approaches being best at certain times and with other approaches being best at other times. That is why every woman needs a menopause plan. Managing menopause effectively, especially vaginal atrophy, is the key to aging gracefully and maintaining sexual vibrancy as well as overall health.

Beginning the treatment of vaginal decay as early as possible and maintaining it through the senior years as long as practical should be every woman’s gold standard for menopause care. Women should no longer suffer the effects of becoming sexually dysfunctional before they seek a physician’s help. There is no need for sexual dysfunction to become a problem at all, sexuality can continue unabated in a woman’s life despite menopause. But the foundation of every woman’s menopause plan should focus on treating and preventing vaginal atrophy before its damaging progression results in sexual problems and ill health.

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) has a list of certified menopause specialists that can help women make a plan for effective treatment of menopausal symptoms. Or ask your regular doctor for a referral.

#monalisatouch #womandoctor #menopause #menopausespecialist