How do I deal with menopause?

Here's how Prof. Graziottin answers this question from her patients:

First, improve your lifestyles: the more appropriate and consistent they are, the stronger the investment you will personally make in your longevity in smart health!

Physicians, you should:

• Always take a very accurate family and personal history, to evaluate leading symptoms and signs the menopause is causing, the leading vulnerabilities and the few major contraindications (to hormone replacement therapy, say, hormone replacement cancer breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer, thrombophlebitis/thrombosis).
• Second, physicians should carry out a comprehensive physical examination, as I do with my patients, including thyroid, breast, abdomen, gynecological and pelvic floor examination, plus blood pressure, body weight, height and abdominal circumference.
• Third, important to carry out pelvic ultrasonography, pap-smear and/or HPV test, or ask for mammography and bone mineral density (BMD), if the woman is older than 50, or earlier if there is a clinical indication for that. For example, bone mineral density could be appropriate in individual cases, in case of premature ovarian insufficiency, persisting binge eating disorders of restrictive type up to frank anorexia, or cancer treatment with chemotherapy and/or pelvic or total body radiotherapy in also in case of NON-hormone dependent cancers.
• If a hormone replacement therapy is indicated, then it can be tailored according to the woman’s needs in terms of:
  • types of hormones
  • dosage
  • route of administration
  • regimen: cyclic combined or continuous combined, 

A well-tailored menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) improves the level of health in every organ and tissue: from brain to cardiovascular system, from bones to muscles and joints, from skin to nails and hair, from genitals to bladder. 

MHT improves the gut, the vulva, and vaginal microbiota and microbiome as well, the best secret directors of our health, which have major receptors for sexual hormones. A positive dynamic eubiosis is back, for the best of our systemic health, general and intimate health.

New solid data indicated that very positive health advantages are there also for women who continue far after 65 years of age, always in synergy with healthy lifestyles.

Key point: menopausal hormone therapy replaces the lost hormones, but they work at their best if you take full responsibility for your own health. No alibi, no excuses, please!

Lifestyles are key! 

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