Menopause Medication: When You Need it

If you are over the age of thirty, menopause is something that you need to be aware of. It is something that happens to every woman at some point, and so by making yourself more educated and understanding on it, you are going to be more prepared and be able to deal with it better.

Menopause Medication Can Reduce Undesirable Symptoms

All women go through a condition known as menopause in middle age. This condition signals the end of a woman's reproductive capabilities, and this condition starts because of the reduction of the hormone estrogen in a woman's body. This condition can cause many undesirable symptoms in women including hot flashes, depression and night sweats. Sometimes these symptoms are very debilitating for women. Other women go through menopause without suffering from these symptoms, or they only experience slight discomfort. The loss of estrogen also seems to produce some unwanted physical changes that could bring extra suffering for women. One of these unwanted conditions is weakening of the bones which might lead to fractures.

The unwanted effects of menopause led medical researchers to look for a medication to relieve the symptoms and effects of menopause. Since the condition was caused by changing hormone levels, the researchers developed hormone replacement therapies for treating menopausal women. Gynecologists routinely prescribed this menopause medication for their patients experiencing this condition. The information seemed to suggest that medication would lessen the symptoms that disturbed many women. The therapy also seemed to help women ward off osteoporosis or weakened bones. This meant that women would not suffer the falls from weakened bones like many of their ancestors had before.

Menopause Medication Could Have Serious Side Effects

The initial information on some of the menopause medications was favorable. The medications seemed to have a dramatic effect on the undesirable symptoms. Many gynecologists routinely prescribed menopause medication to their patients. Some of the menopause medications also seemed to help women avoid developing brittle bones. Some gynecologists prescribed some menopause medications and suggested that their patients take these medications for the rest of their lives. The sales of menopause medications were substantial.

Further research by scientists found that the positive impact of the drugs helped many women. These researchers also found that some of the menopause medications brought very undesirable side effects. Some research showed that some menopause medication could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke in the women using these therapies. Currently, gynecologists are very cautious about prescribing menopause medications. The side effects are much too serious for continued use of some of these menopause medications. Doctors are looking for alternatives to reduce the symptoms and conditions produced by menopause. Women should consult with their doctors as they approach menopause to find a strategy for coping with this inevitable transition.

Other Ideas

You do not have to rely on the more conventional medications if you don't want to, and there are lots of great natural menopause medication options as well that you can rely on. Although typically the natural versions are not as effective, they do not come with unfavorable symptoms and side effects as most of the other prescription drugs do.

Make sure that you weigh out all the pros and cons of any medication before starting on it, and your doctor will need to have a talk with you as well. There are certain people who may have drug allergies or other issues and that will not be able to take certain medications. They will ask you a few questions, properly assess your condition, and make sure that they are choosing the right medication for you, one that poses the best chances of you getting the results that you are looking for.