Available MenoNotes

• Night Sweats. What If It’s Not Menopause?: Hot flashes and night sweats, also called vasomotor symptoms (VMS), can significantly affect daily function and quality of life at home and work. Night sweats can be particularly distressing because they often cause sleep disruption and personal discomfort from soaked bedclothes and sheets. Vasomotor symptoms happen with menopause because estrogen levels drop, which affects the part of the brain that controls body temperature.
  
• Menopause and Sexual Function:  The menopause transition and postmenopause can be associated with bothersome changes in sexual function. Although some people experience a stronger sense of sexual confidence and freedom after menopause, others find that symptoms negatively affect their relationships and well-being.
  
• Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: The genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) includes bothersome vaginal, vulvar (lips of the vagina), and urinary symptoms that can affect quality of life, sexual satisfaction, and even your relationship with your partner. Unlike hot flashes, which typically improve with time, GSM usually worsens over time without treatment.
  
• Síndrome genitourinario de la menopausia: El síndrome genitourinario de la menopausia (GSM) incluye molestos síntomas vaginales, vulvares (labios de la vagina) y urinarios que pueden afectar a la calidad de vida, la satisfacción sexual e incluso la relación con la pareja. A diferencia de los sofocos, que suelen mejorar con el tiempo, el GSM suele empeorar con el tiempo sin tratamiento.
  
• Midlife Weight Gain: Midlife, defined as occurring between the ages of 40 and 65 years, is a time of significant physical and hormone changes for women. Although aging is the primary driver of weight gain, menopause plays a critical role in redistributing fat, often increasing abdominal fat. This combination contributes to higher rates of overweight and obesity in midlife women and raises the risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
  
• Aumento de peso en la mediana edad: La mediana edad, que abarca aproximadamente entre los 40 y los 65 años, es una etapa de muchos cambios físicos y hormonales para las mujeres. Aunque el envejecimiento es la causa principal del aumento de peso, la menopausia también influye, especialmente en cómo se distribuye la grasa en el cuerpo. Es común que se acumule más grasa en el abdomen durante esta etapa.
  
• Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Many women experience hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and other physical changes with menopause. For some women, the symptoms are mild and do not require any treatment. For others, symptoms are moderate or severe and interfere with daily activities. Hot flashes improve with time, but some women have bothersome hot flashes for many years. Menopause symptoms often improve with lifestyle changes and nonprescription remedies, but prescription therapies also are available, if needed. Government-approved treatments for bothersome hot flashes include hormone therapy (HT) containing estrogen, as well as two nonhormone medications (paroxetine and fezolinetant). 
  
• Decidiendo Sobre el Uso de la Terapia Hormonal: Muchas mujeres experimentan sofocos, sequedad vaginal y otros cambios físicos con la menopausia. Para algunas mujeres, los síntomas son leves y no requieren tratamiento. Para otras, los síntomas son moderados o graves y afectan sus actividades diarias. Los sofocos mejoran con el tiempo, pero algunas mujeres sufren de ellos durante muchos años. Los síntomas de la menopausia suelen mejorar con cambios en el estilo de vida y remedios sin receta, pero también si es necesario existen terapias con receta. Los tratamientos aprobados por el gobierno para los sofocos molestos incluyen la terapia hormonal (TH) con estrógeno, así como tambien dos medicamentos no hormonales (paroxetina y fezolinetante).
  
• Misinformation Surrounding Hormone Therapy: Menopause is a natural stage of life that represents the postreproductive phase and may last for one-third of a woman’s lifespan or longer. Changes in the menstrual cycle signal the start of the menopause transition and ends 1 year after the final menstrual cycle at which time a woman is menopausal. Menopause is caused by the decreased production of ovarian hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. The timing of onset, duration, and symptoms experienced during the menopause transition vary from woman to woman.
• Desinformación Sobre la Terapia Hormonal: La menopausia es una etapa natural de la vida que representa el inicio de la fase postreproductiva de la mujer y puede durar un tercio o más de la vida. Los cambios en el ciclo menstrual (p.ej., irregularidad) marcan el inicio de la transición a la menopausia. Esta transición se finaliza un año después del último ciclo menstrual, en el momento cuando la mujer es menopáusica. La causa de la menopausia es la disminución de ciertas hormonas producidas por los ovarios, cómo los estrógenos y la progesterona. Cuando ocurre la menopausia, cuánto dura la transición a la menopausia, y los síntomas que las mujeres pueden experimentar varían de una mujer a otra.

• Menopause and the Workplace: Menopause, defined as the final menstrual period, is a natural life transition experienced by half the world’s population and occurs at an average age of 52 years. People have different menopause experiences, but many can have bothersome symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats (vasomotor symptoms), mood changes, joint aches, brain fog, insomnia, and vaginal dryness, which can negatively affect productivity and performance in the workplace.   
  
• Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats: Hot flashes and night sweats, also called vasomotor symptoms, are feelings of warmth that can be associated with flushing and sweating. They are quite common during menopause, occurring in up to 80% of women and lasting a mean of 7 to 10 years.  
  
• Menopause and Depression: In addition to the physical changes (hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness) that may happen as you transition into menopause, many women experience mood changes, depressive symptoms, and sometimes, severe depression during this time.  
• La menopausia y la depression: Además de los cambios físicos (sofocos, sudores nocturnos y sequedad vaginal) que pueden producirse durante la transición a la menopausia, muchas mujeres experimentan cambios de humor, síntomas depresivos y en ocasiones, depresión grave durante este periodo. Aunque cada mujer es diferente, muchas mujeres han descubierto que son muy sensibles a los cambios en los niveles hormonales.

• Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a thinning of bones caused by a decrease of bone density beginning around the time of menopause. Bone loss is particularly rapid in the 5 to 10 years around the menopause transition because of loss of estrogen. During that rapid bone loss, the delicate structure of the skeleton is damaged, weakening the bone, increasing the risk of a broken bone or fracture.  

• Bioidentical Hormone Therapy: Custom Compounded Versus Government Approved: Many types of hormone therapy are available for you to use for your menopause symptoms. These include hormones that are manufactured to be chemically identical to the naturally occurring hormones produced by your ovaries during the reproductive years. The term bioidentical hormones has been invented by marketers and has no clear scientific meaning.  

• Menstrual Calendars: Menstrual calendars are available in English, Spanish, and French and can help you track your menstrual patterns and alert you to abnormal bleeding. 

Videos and Podcasts

The Menopause Society is proud of its comprehensive video series for women and healthcare professionals on important midlife health topics. 

View the entire video and podcast series.

Additional Resources

The Menopause Guidebook