Treatment Options for Symptoms of Menopause
It is extremely normal and common for women to experience bothersome vaginal and urinary symptoms during and after menopause. Luckily, there are several different treatment options available to help relieve these symptoms and improve your quality of life! Please, talk to your doctor about your options!
Levels of the hormone estrogen naturally decrease in menopausal and post-menopausal women, resulting in vaginal atrophy, or thinner and dryer vaginal walls. As a result, women can experience symptoms of vaginal inflammation, irritation, burning, bleeding, discharge, pain and painful sex. Some women also experience more frequent or painful urination. Women can experience these symptoms at variable levels of intensities.
Many women silently experience these symptoms, assuming that they are an ordinary part of aging. But there are treatment options:
- Non-hormonal options
- Over-the-counter lubricants can help with painful sex
- Over-the-counter moisturizers are useful at all times to help relieve dryness
- Sexual activity can help with vaginal symptoms
- Hormonal options (when non-hormonal treatments are not enough)
- Vaginal estrogen (delivered through the vagina) is usually the first to be recommended by doctors. This can come in the form of a cream, tablet or ring inserted into the vagina
- The estrogen travels directly into the vagina, bypassing the bloodstream. This lowers the associated health risks of blood clots and some cancers in women.
- Estrogen pill (oral administration) or estrogen skin patch (systemic estrogen)
- For women experiencing whole-body symptoms of menopause such as night sweats and hot flashes, vaginal estrogen is sometimes not enough. When using a the pill or skin patch, women must also take progesterone if they have not had their uterus removed.
- Non-estrogen hormone options
- Non-invasive Laser Therapy (the MonaLisa Touch)
- CO2 Fractional Laser is a non-hormonal, non-invasive new approach to restore natural function in the vagina by stimulating new collagen production in the vaginal walls
- El Camino Medical Group is the first office in Mountain View to offer this new and advanced treatment! Read more here
Please make sure to consult with your doctor about your treatment options to discuss the best choice for you. It is also important to ensure that the vaginal pain and bleeding are not a result of any other serious underlying conditions. For more information, check out the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists FAQ section on menopause. Don’t suffer in silence, help us help you find your treatment today!
El Camino Women’s Medical Group offers the latest Minimally Invasive Solutions for gynecologic problems. Drs. Amy Teng, Erika Balassiano, and Pooja Gupta, all members of AAGL (American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy) are highly trained and experienced in the field of Minimally Invasive Gynecgologic Surgery. Dr. Erika Balassiano is also a graduate of a Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship, under the supervision of world-renowned Dr. Camran Nezhat.
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