TILII TOPICS
Dr. Neetu K. Sodhi provides a variety of traditional Western and integrative menopause services for women in Tarzana CA, the San Fernando Valley as well as the greater Los Angeles area. Dr. Sodhi is a North American Menopause Society certified menopause specialist, offering personalized menopause services for each patient she sees.
Menopause
What is Menopause?
Menopause occurs when ovaries stop making estrogen and menstrual periods stop. Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive life and happens, on average, when a woman is 51 years old. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman no longer has menstrual bleeding for 12 consecutive months. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause and can begin as early as the 30s or 40s. It is during this time when the most pronounced symptoms normally associated with menopause begin to appear.
What symptoms are associated with perimenopause and menopause?
If you are approaching menopause you may begin to experience changes in your menstrual cycle. You may bleed longer or shorter than normal with heavier or lighter flows. While this is expected, changes in menstrual cycle should be reported to Dr. Sodhi to rule out more serious causes. Common symptoms of perimenopause are mood changes, hot flashes, sleep problems, vaginal dryness, and decreased metabolism leading to weight gain. While many of these symptoms are most pronounced or only occur during the menopausal transition, some of them remain after menopause.
In menopausal women, bone loss happens the most rapidly during the four to eight years after menopause. A result of decreased levels of estrogen in the body, too much bone loss can result in osteoporosis. The lack of estrogen available to the body after menopause results in a lack of protection against high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
What can be done to alleviate the symptoms of menopause?
While maintaining a proper diet, healthy weight, and active lifestyle are good ways to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, in addition, Dr. Sodhi will work with you and consider your lifestyle, medical history and goals to create a treatment plan that may include one or more of the following: temporary hormonal replacement therapy, bioidentical extended hormonal therapy, ayurveda, specialized vitamins and natural supplements, ThermiVA vaginal rejuvenation, the Ideal Protein weight loss program.
Though menopause is a phase of life and not a disease, there are many undesirable symptoms that may come along with it. Dr. Sodhi is a North American Menopause Society certified menopause specialist who works hard to relieve your symptoms and help you enjoy this new and beautiful phase of your life.