Common Hot Flashes Triggers and How to Prevent Them
It’s one of the most common indicators of menopause, one of the most widely discussed, and one of the most fearfully anticipated– the dreaded hot flash. If you’re a woman approaching her menopausal years, hot flashes are probably the first thing that pops into your head when you start to sweat. The majority of women will experience them at least a few times throughout menopause, and there are dozens of products devoted to stopping them in their tracks.
However random they may seem, hot flashes actually do have some common triggers that can bring them on! Avoiding these triggers may help you to more easily manage the discomfort of your hot flashes, and reduce how often or how severely they occur. Here’s what you need to know!
Heat
It makes sense that when your environment is hot, you feel hot, but when you’re suffering from menopausal hot flashes, the heat can end up feeling much more intense, and it can be hard to cool down, even after you’ve exited a hot and stuffy environment. Planning your day to avoid putting yourself under excess heat is just a fact of life when you’re in menopause, so try to dress in light, loose layers that are easy to take on and off, plan your travel and events accordingly with the weather, and bring a fan or cool drink with you to help you beat the heat!
Spicy Foods
If you’re a lover of cuisine with a kick, this trigger will be a hard pill to swallow, but spicy food can commonly trigger a hot flash. If your dinner is hot enough to get your forehead sweating, it’s probably going to lead to you being uncomfortably warm down the line! Switching to foods that are a little more mild in the heat department can help keep your hot flashes at bay while you’re going through menopause.
Caffeine
Your daily latte or cup of joe may feel vital to your morning routine, but unless you want that routine to include a regular hot flash, it might be best to reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine affects the body in all kinds of ways, and is a common hot flash trigger. Switching to a decaf version or eliminating your caffeine intake altogether can be a challenge, but if it helps your hot flashes, you might find that it’s worth it!
Alcohol and Smoking
Notice yourself checking the thermostat after a nightcap or a quick drink with friends? It’s not a coincidence. Alcohol has been known to trigger hot flashes for women with menopause, and you may even notice through your own observations that certain types of alcohol, like wine, may trigger them more easily than other types. Smoking can also trigger a hot flash, so cutting back or eliminating both of these substances is not only good for your health, but can help keep you feeling cool!
Tight Clothing
A snug-fitting dress or tight top and skinny jeans are a great fashion statement, but they might end up making you more uncomfortable than you bargained for as the day goes on. The restriction of tight-fitting clothes is a very common trigger for hot flashes, and on top of that, wiggling your way out of a tight garment while you’re trying to fight a hot flash is an exercise in frustration! As good as they look, it might be best to ditch some of your more tight-fitting outfits while you’re going through menopause. Choosing clothes that are more lightweight, flowy, and loose-fitting will keep you much more comfortable, and you might even find that you like the style too!
Avoiding these common hot flash triggers can make a big difference for some women, but if you find that you’re still struggling with hot flashes and other unpleasant symptoms of menopause, seeking out hormone replacement therapy like the kind we offer here at Renewed Vitality can get you feeling like yourself again!
If you’ve spent some time online recently in spaces devoted to discussing aging, menopause, and womanhood, then you might’ve heard the term “menopause vacation” or “menopause retreat” getting thrown around. A vacation always sounds nice, but what exactly are these phrases referring to, and what do you need to know about it if you’re currently staring down the barrel of menopause yourself?
Here’s the short answer– a menopause vacation or retreat is a program, usually that lasts at least a day or as long as a few days, focused on menopause and dedicated to increasing a woman’s understanding and enjoyment of the experience as she goes through it. For the long answer, keep reading below!
Why Go On a Menopause Vacation?
Right off the bat, you might have mixed feelings about the idea of a menopause retreat. This stage of life is something that isn’t frequently acknowledged or discussed by society at large, so dedicating an entire wellness program to it might seem like an unusual decision. However, there are lots of reasons that women choose to go to these retreats!
For starters, menopause vacations or retreats often have a strong focus on education, information, and awareness. Menopause is something that every woman goes through once she reaches a certain age, and yet many women don’t fully understand what the change entails and aren’t prepared for it. Learning more about what’s actually happening in your body, how to make it easier to cope with, and how to embrace it can create a positive experience for many women.
On the subject of embracing it, part of the idea behind menopause vacations is to celebrate and relish this time in your life. Menopause is often viewed through a negative lens, but it’s not necessarily a negative thing, even if at times it isn’t the most pleasant. Going through menopause means you’ve grown and experienced so much as you aged! It means that you have wisdom to share, memories to treasure, and new experiences to look forward to. Celebrating the process of aging and all of the developments that come along with it is something of a radical idea in our society that tends to look down its nose a bit at older women, and programs especially dedicated to embracing this stage of life are a great vehicle to do it.
One of the other main reasons that a woman might enjoy going on a menopause retreat is to enjoy camaraderie and community with her peers– other women who are in a similar stage of life and who are going through the same experiences. For lots of people, school is the last time that they’re ever surrounded by people their own age, and even if you have lots of friends and family that you love, if there’s no one in your circle who’s at a similar stage in life to you, it can be hard to feel understood. Meeting other women, making friends, and exchanging stories and advice is a huge part of these vacations or retreats, and it’s a big draw for a lot of the people who attend them!
What Do Menopause Vacations Include?
What a menopause vacation or menopause retreat will include depends a lot on the individual program, its location, and its length. However, you can definitely expect to see sections of the program dedicated to learning about menopause as well as sections devoted to socializing and bonding with the other attendees. It’s also common to have activities on the schedule that promote rest, relaxation, and wellness, like massages, yoga, meditation classes, and other activities designed to alleviate stress. You might also have activities that discuss exercise and healthy movement, nutrition, sleep, and other aspects of your physical wellbeing that can help to alleviate the less pleasant symptoms of menopause.
Would a Menopause Vacation Benefit Me?
Whether or not you feel like a menopause vacation would be a good idea for you is a personal thing. However, if you’ve been feeling like you could use some deeper knowledge about menopause, some friends to talk about it with, or just a chance to relax and slow down for a minute, going on a menopause retreat might be a good idea for you!
If you want to start learning more about menopause and the many ways that it can affect you, you can continue to read our blog here!
Menopause is something that a lot of women dread, in spite of the fact that it’s a normal and natural process. You’re bound to hear horror stories from the older women in your life about how unbearable it is, and as your friends and women of a similar age to you start to experience it, you may be watching yourself with laser focus, reading into every little ache and drop of sweat and wondering if it’s a sign. Knowing more about the real, reliable signs of oncoming menopause can help you to feel less anxious and more confident about the change you’re about to undergo, so here are the signs you should be looking out for!
Irregular Periods
This is the one irrefutable sign that menopause has begun. It’s what the name literally means– the stop of the period. If you start to notice your periods becoming very irregular in their length, heaviness, or cycle, especially if they’ve always been mostly regular, it’s a sign that menopause is beginning for you. Once you go a full year with no periods at all, you’ve officially crossed the threshold and are medically considered to be in menopause. Watching your periods will be the most important predictor of this change!
Chills, Hot Flashes, and Night Sweats
Perhaps the most infamous symptom of menopause is the notorious temperature fluctuations– the chills, the hot flashes, and the night sweats that make it hard to stay comfortable. If you start noticing yourself feeling disproportionately warm or cold compared to everyone else in the room, it may be a sign that menopause is starting.
Sleep Problems
Whether they’re brought on by night sweats or other discomforts or seem to have no cause at all, changes or difficulties in how you sleep are often a sign that something is afoot in your body, and it can be an early indicator of menopause, especially if you notice sleep problems in conjunction with other symptoms like changes to your period!
Mood Changes
Menopause is a major physical and hormonal change in your body, in much the same way that puberty was when you were young. As such, it comes along with similar mood changes that may be frustrating or hard to predict. Although you probably have a better handle on them now that you’re more mature and less impulsive than you were as a teenager, you may still find yourself feeling suddenly angry or sad without much provocation. It’s okay, and it’s a normal thing to experience! Try to let these feelings wash over you; just feel them as they come and then let them go. They’re still your feelings, even if your hormones are kicking them up a notch. Give them their moment, and then move on with your day!
Sexual Changes
Alterations to your libido or sex drive are a very normal thing to experience in menopause, as are shifts in how much you actually enjoy sex or sexual activity. This can be due in part to symptoms of menopause like vaginal dryness, which can make sex uncomfortable or painful, but it can also happen separately of physical changes– simply a change in your sex drive. It’s not unheard of for some women to have an increase in libido, but it’s more common for a decrease to occur and for women to lose some interest in sex. If you find this is straining your relationship with a partner or partners, seeking out medical help can be useful in restoring your sex drive to what it was, and therapy can help you and your partner adjust to the new normal in your relationship.
Body Changes
Physical changes to your body are a big sign of the shifting hormone levels that take place with menopause. Common things that you may see are a decrease in breast volume or fullness, thinning of hair both on the head and on the body, dry skin, weight fluctuations, and weakened bones or osteoporosis. Some of these changes are harmless if a little annoying, while others can become uncomfortable or pose problems for your long-term health. Speak to your doctor about them– they can help you to find approaches that will keep you comfortable, confident, and healthy throughout this transition!
If you’re noticing these signs in yourself on a regular basis, then it’s probably safe to assume that you’re entering menopause! Despite the fact that these symptoms are incredibly common, they can be very frustrating and difficult to deal with. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a powerful tool that can help you to deal with them. To learn more, you can read about the HRT offered by Renewed Vitality here!
You love your partner, through thick and thin, through good times and bad. However, when your spouse is going through menopause, you might find it puts a strain on your relationship. This is incredibly common! Like other stages of a long-term relationship, menopause brings huge shifts for your partner and the ways in which you interact, and it’s perfectly normal to struggle with the transition.
With tensions running high, it might seem like the smallest things you say can upset your spouse. However, from their perspective, certain remarks are not small at all! There are some things that you should definitely avoid saying to your partner when they’re going through menopause. It will help to show that you understand and respect what they’re dealing with, and keep things positive. Here are a few of them to be aware of!
Aren’t You Too Young for That?
Menopause is something that’s associated with growing older, so it might surprise you to hear that your partner is beginning to go through it at a younger age than you thought they would. Menopause tends to occur on average between the ages of 45 and 55, but it is possible for it to happen sooner.
Telling someone they’re too young for menopause can feel like a well-meaning compliment, but for many women, it’s just a painful reminder that they’re aging. Menopause can be difficult mentally and emotionally as well as physically, and it’s kindest to tread lightly around the subject of age during this time. Your partner might be feeling sad about getting older without you realizing!
It’s Freezing in Here!
Hot flashes are the classic symptom of menopause. Everyone hears about them, every woman dreads them, and everyone who experiences them knows what a pain they are. They can strike at any time, interrupt your sleep, and make you wildly uncomfortable in the most inconvenient moments. When your partner is having a hot flash, she’s sure to be stressed, sweaty, and altogether miserable.
In these moments, the most considerate thing to do would be to avoid pointing out the hot flash unless she mentions it herself, and don’t make any comments about the temperature. If she’s turned up the AC and you’re cold, grab a sweater without making a big fuss. Complaining about the temperature might only make her feel worse!
Did You Gain Weight?
Menopause can lead to a lot of physical changes in a woman’s appearance, including weight gain, hair thinning, changes in body or facial hair, or changes in breast volume. Simply put, your partner is likely to be especially sensitive about her looks at this time, and off-handed comments might strike a little deeper than you intended them to.
If you notice a change in your partner’s appearance like thinning hair or weight gain, it’s best to keep any observations about it to yourself. Instead, focus on pointing out the things you find beautiful about your partner that she can feel confident about. Remind her that you find her attractive and sexy– a small compliment can go a long way!
You’re Lucky Your Period is Gone!
It seems like the one upside of menopause: no more dealing with a period each month! While this is true and it’s something many women consider to be a silver lining during menopause, it might upset your partner to have it pointed out.
For one thing, losing your period is just another reminder that you’re getting older, something few women are particularly excited about. It might also be saddening for some women to know that they’re out of their childbearing years– they may have wanted a bigger family, or never got the chance to have children when they wanted to. If your partner mentions being grateful that her period is gone, it’s great to join her in rejoicing, but otherwise, it might be best to avoid mentioning it. You never know what might be on her mind when it comes to changes in her body.
You’re Not in the Mood Again?
Changes in your sex life are a major source of relationship strain during menopause. The hormonal changes this transition brings are likely to affect your partner’s libido, as well as how comfortable and enjoyable sex actually is for her. You might find that you’re suddenly having much less sex than you used to, leaving you feeling frustrated and distant.
This is shaky territory. Guilting your partner or complaining about her lower sex drive or physical changes is never something you want to do. At best, it’s rude and inconsiderate, and at worst, it borders on coercing her into sex. However, you’re not wrong to feel lonely or upset with this change in your relationship! Those feelings are normal and worth fixing. Find a time to calmly and kindly talk to your partner about the shift in your sex life. Acknowledge her struggles and that you know this isn’t her fault, and lay out how you’re feeling and that you want to work together to fix the problem. Cooperating on finding a solution can result in your relationship coming out even stronger on the other side!
Menopause doesn’t have to mean that your relationship with your partner turns sour. It’s a period of change like others that you’ve gotten through together, and with plenty of open communication, love, and support, you’ll get through this one, too. If your partner is really struggling with the symptoms of menopause, hormonal replacement therapy might be a good way for her to find some relief. You can both learn more from Renewed Vitality today!
Menopause is a process that every woman goes through when she reaches a certain age. It’s completely natural and normal. It’s also annoying, disheartening, and at times can feel a little embarrassing. Just because it’s something that’s supposed to happen doesn’t mean that it’s easy to deal with!
Additionally, for a long time in our society, periods, menopause, and women’s health in general was something that wasn’t meant to be discussed in public, and even talking about it among your female friends was shaky ground. It can be hard to break that habit! However, as we all get more open discussing our reproductive health, there are a lot of benefits to be gained by talking to your friends about going through menopause, especially your female friends of a similar age who are in the same boat! Here are some of the reasons to have those conversations.
Feel Supported
If there’s one thing you can learn from talking to your friends about menopause, it’s this– you’re not alone! Every woman goes through this process, and the struggles and challenges you’re facing, while they aren’t much fun, are normal and not something to be scared or ashamed of. Talking to people who understand what you’re going through can be a huge benefit to your support system. After all, your family members or friends who don’t have a frame of reference are helpful, but they can’t fully relate. The feeling of mutual support that you can get from talking to your friends about menopause is something very valuable.
Exchange Coping Tips
Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue– the list of unpleasant symptoms of menopause goes on. Again, while they’re normal and to be expected, they’re a complete pain! Talking to your friends who are experiencing the same symptoms can be hugely helpful in dealing with them. They may have methods and tips that you never thought of that make these annoyances much easier to cope with. Maybe one of your friends puts a facial mist in the fridge for hot flashes, or another has found the perfect method for dealing with night sweats. Collaboration is the name of the game when it comes to friends helping each other through this tough time.
Appreciate Aging Together
It can be tough to look for the silver lining during a process that doesn’t feel very fun, but the truth is that there’s a unique beauty in every stage of life that you get to experience, including this one. You and your friends are changing physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, and there are upsides and downsides to those changes, but they’re all worth appreciating. Being able to get older and experience this point in your life is a gift, and talking to your friends and hearing about their experiences can help you to find the positives and appreciate aging alongside each other!
Practice Communication
During menopause, your relationships with people in your life– like partners, family members, or children– might get a little bit strained. You’re under a lot of stress that they don’t have the ability to fully understand, and it can lead to arguments and tension. When you talk to your friends, however, you’re talking to people who are in the same boat, and who understand the difficulties! Things like mood swings and general annoyance at the process of menopause are common, and talking to your friends can be a good way to practice communicating what’s going on and stating what you need. When you can carry these skills over to the other relationships in your life, you might be surprised at how the strain eases up!
Normalize the Transition
The more we openly talk about things like menopause, the more normalized and accepted they become in society. This makes it easier for women to learn what’s common and what’s uncommon, and makes resources that ease the difficulties of menopause, like hormone replacement therapy (HRT), much more accessible! You might’ve heard in chatting with your friends that HRT can lessen the symptoms of menopause and make the process easier to cope with, and that can be available to you at Renewed Vitality in Wyomissing, PA. Check out our hormonal services today to learn more!
Menopause is one of the biggest physical changes that a woman will go through in her life. It’s a shift in everything you’ve gotten used to about your body over the last few decades, and it’s going to be a big adjustment to deal with! However, with menopause, you get to have the benefits of foresight. You know this change is coming, and that gives you the opportunity to work on preparing yourself so that it’s easier to deal with.
Preparing yourself ahead of time for menopause can have a good deal of positive impact on both your mental and physical health during the process. Here are some of the ways that you can do this!
Educate Yourself
When it comes to menopause and your hormonal health, knowledge is power, and learning what to expect ahead of time can make the process much easier to deal with. Most people know about how menopause deals with the stopping of your period and symptoms like hot flashes, but other signs, symptoms, and side effects are less-well discussed, like weight gain, vaginal dryness, hair loss, or urinary problems. Being aware of the possibilities of these symptoms can help you to be less scared and concerned if and when they show up, and you can prepare coping strategies to deal with them ahead of time.
Set Up Healthy Habits
Because menopause heavily affects your hormones and your hormones affect nearly everything in your body, heading into menopause can mean serious physical changes are at hand, not all of them good. Struggling with your weight, dealing with low bone density, and living in fear of cardiovascular problems are all things that can happen as you age and your period stops, but a healthy lifestyle that includes lots of nourishing foods and exercise and limits things like drinking and smoking can help to counteract these symptoms.
It’s never too early to start taking good care of your body, but it’s also never too late. Even if you feel like you have a while before menopause is upon you, or you feel like you missed the boat to prepare, try to work in some healthy habits anyway. They’ll pay dividends when you’re on the other side of this process!
Find a Doctor You Trust
Dealing with the symptoms of menopause is not something that you have to do without help. On top of having a good support system of friends and family around you, it’s important to have a strong and trusting relationship with a doctor that you can turn to for help when you need it.
If you don’t feel comfortable and confident with your doctor, that might be a sign that it’s time to look for a new one. When you find a doctor you like, discuss your concerns with them! Bring up symptoms you’re particularly worried about experiencing when menopause arrives and ask advice for coping. Your doctor may be able to help you alleviate unpleasant symptoms.
Develop Stress Coping Skills
Chronic stress is never good for your health, but particularly during and after menopause, it can be especially detrimental, with effects on your blood pressure and your heart health. While reducing the sources of stress in your life can be beneficial, sometimes your stressors are unavoidable. Building coping skills to help you deal with this stress can make a big difference in your health during menopause.
Consider HRT
Sometimes it’s possible to deal with the symptoms of menopause on your own, but if you’re finding yourself struggling, hormone replacement therapy might be helpful, relieving bothersome symptoms and helping you to feel comfortable and in control again. If you’re interested in learning more about hormone replacement therapy, make sure to contact us at Renewed Vitality.
There are dozens of different hormones in the human body. These so-called “chemical messengers” are responsible for triggering the various processes and rhythms throughout your body over the course of your life, from your circadian rhythm to your hunger levels to a woman’s menstrual cycle. These small little chemicals play a vital role in the way your body functions because of this!
Of the many different types of hormones, one of the most talked-about ones is estrogen. Most people know that it’s a hormone that has to do with the female reproductive system, but how much do you actually know about estrogen beyond that? At Renewed Vitality, we’re the hormone experts, and so we’re giving you a crash course in what you need to know about estrogen!
What is Estrogen?
Estrogen is one of the sex hormones, meaning it’s involved in your sexual and reproductive systems. It’s commonly thought of as a specifically female hormone, but that’s not entirely true! While women have estrogen in much higher levels in their bodies, men have it as well, and not having it can cause problems to their health. While it performs more functions in a woman’s body, estrogen can be found in the endocrine systems of all healthy humans.
What Does Estrogen Do?
Estrogen is a vital component in female sexual maturity. Levels of this hormone begin to rise as a young girl enters puberty, and it causes the changes associated with that point in development, such as breast growth and the start of the period.
In adult women, estrogen plays a major role in the menstrual cycle. Rising levels of the hormone stimulate the ovaries to produce the egg, and the uterus to thicken its lining. Estrogen also works to increase a woman’s chances of getting pregnant during the height of her fertile period. It thins out her cervical mucus to make it easier for sperm to enter her uterus, and it keeps the vaginal walls lubricated and elastic to facilitate sex.
Estrogen plays roles in other processes in the body as well, like inflammation, blood sugar cholesterol levels, collagen production, bone density, and mood.
Where is Estrogen Made?
The majority of the estrogen in a woman’s body at any time is produced by her ovaries. A small amount is made by other organs, like the liver or the adrenal glands, but mostly the ovaries serve this function. In men, the amount of estrogen they need is produced in the testes, the male equivalent of the ovaries.
What Happens if You Have Low Estrogen?
Low estrogen can have major effects on the entire body, not just on your reproductive system. However, not every person with low estrogen is undergoing something abnormal. Menopause is a natural process that every woman goes through, and during it, estrogen levels will drop significantly. This is associated with the common symptoms of menopause, like vaginal dryness, mood changes, fatigue, hot flashes, and breast tenderness. It’s also the reason many women suffer from brittle bones and bone density loss as they age– less estrogen means your bones get weaker. Menopause is not the only cause of low estrogen levels. They might also occur with fertility problems, nutritional deficiencies, or conditions like Turner syndrome.
What Happens if You Have High Estrogen?
High estrogen levels can be caused by anything from the medications you’re taking to conditions like fibroids, ovarian tumors, or PCOS. Its symptoms can include decreased sex drive, weight gain, worsening premenstrual symptoms, or irregular or missing periods.
What to Do About Estrogen Imbalances?
An imbalance in your estrogen levels can throw the functions of your entire body out of whack, making it a difficult and upsetting condition to deal with. Luckily, things aren’t completely out of your control! There are lots of treatments available to help you deal with estrogen imbalances, like the bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) available at Renewed Vitality! You can contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your estrogen levels.
Every year in March, the country celebrates Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to looking back to appreciate the hard work, struggles, and triumphs of women throughout history, as well as working to make the world of tomorrow a better place to be a woman. Since 1987, the United States has celebrated Women’s History Month, and in 2023 there are so many wonderful ways to celebrate! Here are just a few.
Learn About Amazing Women
History is full of women who did incredible things and lived remarkable lives, and Women’s History Month provides the perfect excuse to learn about some of them! There are women in the history of every field and every walk of life, so whatever your interests are, you’re sure to find something worth doing a little research on. If you’re a computer nerd, consider looking into Ada Lovelace or Grace Hopper. If you love literature, you could read up on Mary Shelley or Alice Walker. At Renewed Vitality, we love taking this opportunity to remember female pioneers in medicine and science, like Elizabeth Blackwell, Rebecca Lee Crumpler, and Rosalind Franklin.
Support Female Artists
Gender biases can make it hard for even the most talented women to make it in the entertainment industry, which makes the month of March a great time to actively seek out books, movies, music, TV shows, and other forms of media that are created by women. Pump up your favorite songs from female singers or check out a movie that was directed by a woman this month. In looking for something new, you might find something you didn’t even know you would love!
Give to Charities That Support Women
Women’s History Month is about celebrating the past and working towards the future in equal measure, so this time of year is a good chance to donate or volunteer for charities that support women. There’s probably a local women’s shelter in your area running food or clothing drives, or you could consider giving to organizations like the Malala Fund, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Encourage Women’s Health
In spite of the many recent advances that have been made in women’s health, there are lots of women out there who are still in the dark about their bodies and their health. Women’s History Month is the time to work towards changing that. If you’re a woman, take this opportunity to be proactive! Schedule your regular checkups with any doctors you see, do your monthly self breast exams, and do your best to take care of your body overall. If you’re not a woman, encourage the women in your life that you love to do these things! Screenings like mammograms and pap smears save lives, and so does promoting general awareness about women’s health issues. Every small step counts!
A big part of women’s health that is often overlooked is hormonal health. If you’re interested in learning more, make sure to continue reading our blog here at Renewed Vitality!
