Strictly speaking, menopause is your final menstrual period, but most doctors agree you need 12 straight months without a period before you can call that last period "final." Gone along with your periods, however, are your "factory-installed" female hormones. These protect you against a host of conditions--heart disease and osteoporosis most prominently--and lack of them can lead to a variety of symptoms, known collectively by your mothers as "the change." These may include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, weight changes and poor concentration.
What you are now faced with is the decision of the Nineties and the new millennium: Is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) right for you? What you need to remember, however, is that every woman passing through menopause has different needs. Not everyone, for instance, is at risk for heart disease or osteoporosis. And indeed there are effective, safe, nonhormonal ways to bolster yourself against these conditions without HRT.

Our approach at WholeHealth Chicago is to leave the final decision of HRT up to you. But we do suggest that you try some of our recommendations first and see how they can help.

Learn About Menopause