List your known solutions please! TIA

I am not sure what you mean?

Are you referencing health risks? Hot flashes? Mood Swings? Sex?

The biggest thing that comes to mind over the long haul is a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and veggies included. Also being sure you are getting enough calcium and magnesium for bone density BEFORE you hit menopause.

The other symptoms are variable from what I gather. One may not deal with hot flashes but may have extreme bone loss or heart problems.
Others may begin to show signs of dementia, but nothing else.
Some have a little bit of em all.
So until you know what you are experiencing, diet is key I think from what I have researched.

Thank you, Kristerae. I was thinking along the very lines of what you posted! Just a general idea of how best to prepare our bodies for what is to come. I've been going through peri-menopause since my mid 30's, which has been for 10 years now. I still have a monthly menses, but it has been erratic and at times extremely heavy in flow. At times I think that I will be in full blown menopause within a couple of months, but then things smooth out for a time and become more normal. Time will tell!

enjoy sleeping in the nude- it helps - trust me- you don't wake up with drenched pj's

go to an asian market and pick up some really beautiful hand fans- something to match a ton of things- and make you feel prissy as you fan yourself during a hot flash

find some nice body powder that you like and won't conflict with your perfume- and after a shower powder down- it helps with the hot flashes as well

embrace being unable to sleep well- find all kinds of night things to do that you have not been able to do since before you could sleep... hobbies, tivo some good movies only you would enjoy watching

find some wonderful new lubes for sex- cause the sahara desert never saw such dryness... i have vagifem insertable pills that help me- and estrace cream- but we have reinvestigated the lubes that warm and tingle, etc

realize this is a phase that will pass- embrace it if you can- don't fight it- it happens... and learn to laugh at how your body is now in control of your emotions whether you wanted it to be or not!

Theresa, thank you for your matter of fact way in approaching and working through the hot flashes. Tingly lubes, aye? :smirk:

Georgia Doula...I love your post :heart:

And last night was one of those nights I was up half the night. And you jsut cannot explain why.

I also sleep nude when I can. We seem to have many teens sleep over here so I cannot always. But I still wake up hot in the middle of the night and cannot go to sleep again.
My dh feels like I am alienating myself from him becuase I sleep on the couch more than with him. Jsut for that reason alone.

So today, the brain fog is worse! My weight has increased some and is sitting in the middle of my belly now.

And this transition has taken place in 2 months. I am still trying to learn all I can to help. I was so grieved when I found out cancer treatment woudl put me into menopause becuase I truly wanted to go through it naturally.

But alas, here I am in the middle of it and I am ok with it most of the time.

I think the brain fog is the worse for me becuase I have so many children making noise or talking at the same time and phones ringing and doorbells ringing, and teens over, and all the normal stuff we go through as mom's that bugs me now. Why?
Becuase for the first time in my life,multitasking is a challenge and I cannot mentally keep up.

And then sometimes I become a major biotch becuase I am frustrated with myself and become cranky.

I am starting to understand why some older people cannot be around kids for very long. It is a mental challenge. :hahaha:

Covert Lily, ironically I have known some women that had the same experience as you that had virtually no symptoms.
The long transition seems to help that in some women. So maybe you will be one of those.
Please post away over here as you go through your changes and such. I am certain you would help someone.

Definately I woudl say the calcium/magnesium thing is very important for you.
Here is the link to my homepage that has some food and herbal solutions for that issue
http://www.dreamseeds.org


I am actually considering talking to a counselor at the college to see if they have any classes to help me understand nutrition. Because there are certain foods that work together or work against each other. I woudl love to know the best nutritional approach or supplements that can be taken for things like this.