Early Menopause Overview

When a woman’s menstrual cycle begins to change in her 30s, 40s or 50s, she may be possibly approaching menopause. The terms used in the medical field for this change include premenopause, early menopause and menopause transition. Perimenopause brings numerous body changes to women, including hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods and vaginal dryness. If a woman living in the Plano, Frisco and Dallas, Texas communities begins to experience troublesome vaginal dryness that impacts her daily life, she is encouraged to contact the team at Mona Lisa Partners to learn more about MonaLisa Touch™, an innovative vaginal rejuvenation laser system commonly used as a perimenopause treatment option.

When Does Premenopause Begin?

The changes associated with the menopause transition usually begin several years before natural menopause, but can begin as early as 10-15 years before the big change. During this time, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen, causing follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH)—which are responsible for growing and developing eggs—to rise and menstrual cycles to shorten and fluctuate. Common changes in the cycle include level of flow, time between periods and irregularity in period length.

Women going through the premenopause stage often experience hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, vaginal dryness and fluctuations in libido. Many women also report a “foggy mind,” similar to after childbirth. Physicians often believe cognitive changes are connected to change in sleep patterns.

It is important to note that pregnancy is still possible during the early menopause stage.

Perimenopause Treatments

Perimenopause is often considered the midlife rite of passage, but women experiencing the new and bothersome symptoms associated with this transition often lose a little happiness and well-being as their bodies change.

Early menopause progresses at a different pace for every woman. With that being said, no two women will experience the exact same symptoms and symptom severity at the same time. Some women can go through perimenopause without missing a beat, while other women seek simple treatments to return a normal balance to their bodies.

One of the easiest perimenopause treatment options is simply improving daily habits. Good lifestyle choices not only ease symptoms in many cases, but they also promote overall good health as the body ages.

Women are encouraged to:

  • Exercise 30 minutes each day
  • Adopt good bedtime habits for a better night’s sleep
  • Relieve stress by meditation and breathing exercises
  • Eat a healthy and balanced diet
  • Relieve vaginal dryness with lubricants before sex, vaginal moisturizers or an in-office procedure.

MonaLisa Touch may be an ideal vaginal dryness solution for perimenopausal women. MonaLisa Touch is an innovative treatment that utilizes CO2 energy to restore vaginal health quickly and painlessly. Through the use of a laser probe, controlled energy is delivered to the vaginal tissue. The energy is designed to revitalize the tissue’s cells to help produce additional collagen, an essential ingredient in vaginal cell health.

To learn more about premenopause, or to determine if MonaLisa Touch™ is the ideal perimenopause treatment for you, please contact the Plano, Frisco and Dallas, Texas area office of Mona Lisa Partners.