We're here for your Perimenopause and Menopause Care

Menopause is a natural part of life — but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to navigate. Menopause marks the end of menstrual cycles and while it’s a natural biological process, many of the physical symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes, mood issues, low energy, fatigue, and sleep problems can disrupt overall health and happiness. Luckily, the doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants at One Medical have dedicated training to diagnose, treat, and care for a variety of women’s health issues, including menopause.

The menopause occurs as the ovaries have fewer eggs, leading to fluctuating and ultimately declining hormones (estrogen and progesterone). The average age of menopause, the moment when there have been no menstrual periods for 1 year, is 51. During the transition or afterward, people can experience a variety of physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms including irregular periods, hot flashes or chills, night sweats and sleep problems, vaginal dryness, mood changes, weight gain, and more. Some may also notice thinning hair, dry skin, and loss of breast fullness.

Perimenopause constitutes the years leading up to the final menstrual period, with 4-7 years of symptoms being typical. It begins with either changes in menstrual cycle length or quality or any of the above symptoms clinically assessed to be due to hormonal changes. Perimenopause symptoms commonly begin by the mid-40s, though many experience them in the early 40s. For those headed toward premature or early menopause, perimenopause symptoms can occur in the 20s or 30s. Menopause occurs when 12 months have passed since the last menstrual period.

Common symptoms include impaired sleep, attention deficits, word-finding challenges, new onset or worsened depression and anxiety, reduced libido, palpitations, urinary symptoms, missed work, and common signs include bone loss, increased adiposity, new onset or worsened cardiometabolic disease including atherogenesis, and an upswing in onset of autoimmune conditions.

Treatment for menopause symptoms and signs includes lifestyle management, hormone therapy, non-hormonal pharmaceutical options to target symptoms, education, support, and reassurance.

While every person’s menopause experience is unique, the skilled providers at One Medical can offer guidance, support, dietary and lifestyle tips, and in some cases, medications that can make the menopausal transition as smooth as possible. For some, menopause hormone therapy can be helpful to relieve symptoms. Vaginal estrogen can sometimes be an option to relieve vaginal dryness, and some women benefit from low-dose antidepressants or other medications to treat mood symptoms.

One Medical providers work closely with each patient to discuss all possible options and treatment strategies. Because our doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants are trained in a variety of women’s health issues, they can provide many of the office-based services offered by a gynecologist or OB/GYN (including menopause medication prescriptions), so there’s often no need to book an appointment with a separate women’s health doctor.