Menopause therapy needs careful consideration

By Jenny Schlick

Some women are eager to reach menopause -- the change of life -- so their monthly terrorist is finally defeated, while other women are dreading the symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings.

Studies show that when the time comes in a woman's life -- commonly between the ages of 40 and 55 -- many remain confused on symptoms and treatments.

Today, the most common way to deal with menopause consists of taking hormone replacement therapy, although many women do not realize the side effects of these prescriptions.

According to Colette Bouchez, a HealthDay reporter, "In a new survey released by the National Women's Health Resource Center, up to 70 percent of women remain confused over the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy. ..."

Do not be a statistic. Women experiencing menopause are better off dealing with their hormonal changes naturally rather than taking long-term HRT prescriptions.

Here's a testimony: My friend, Clara, and her mother never had problems getting along for extended periods of time. Yes, some days they have their different perspectives on things. But most of the time they could resolve the disagreement within hours or a day of the argument.

Slowly, her mother began noticing the classic menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes and night sweats were her mother's displeasures. She visited the doctor to get a prescription to help these symptoms. The doctor prescribed Premphase, a long-term HRT prescription.

Premphase consists of pills divided into two different colors: purple and blue, each lasting for two weeks. As menopausal sufferers take these prescriptions, the colored pills produce different effects. For Clara's mother, the purple pills appeared to make her more depressed than normal. On several consecutive days when Clara arrived home from school, her mother sat slumped at the table crying for no apparent reason.

On the other hand, the blue pills made her mother angry and extremely irritable. The blue pills were Clara's displeasure. For the two blue-pill weeks, their loving relationship transformed into a relationship like a married Bill Clinton and Mother Teresa.

Clara's mother noticed these symptoms were not acceptable for her life. Calling the doctor and switching to all-natural pills was her next move. Women experiencing menopause should consider dealing with their symptoms naturally because HRT prescriptions, such as Premphase, amplify the symptoms of menopause, HRT prescriptions may cause serious illnesses and HRT prescriptions are not the only way to deal with menopause.

According to MayoClinic.com, natural menopause symptoms include irregular menstruation, decreased fertility, vaginal changes, hot flashes, steep disturbance, change in appearance and emotional changes. Not only will a menopausal sufferer experience the common symptoms of menopause, she will have to overcome the side effects of these long-term prescriptions. Side effects listed on Yahoo! Health for drugs like Premphase or Prempro may include abnormal menstrual periods, breast lumps, yellow eyes and tenderness to the stomach. These side effects add to the stress of menopause.

Not only does long-term HRT cause the initial side effects, the prescriptions can also cause serious illnesses such as breast cancer, heart disease, and blood clots. The Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health affirmed the Women's Health Initiative study of evaluating postmenopausal women taking HRT prescriptions was halted.

Menopause-Online explains "The study reported if 10,000 women who take the hormones for one year, are compared to 10,000 women who don't, eight more will develop invasive breast cancer, seven more will have heart attacks, eight more will have strokes, and eight more will have blood clots in their lungs." Bouchez adds, "Hormone replacement therapy (prescriptions) appears to have no benefits." The risks for long-term treatments are outweighing the benefits.

Women should be well educated, not blindly victimized to long-term HRT prescription symptoms and illnesses. Menopause is a natural process that can be dealt with naturally. If the symptoms do not affect everyday living, treatments are not considered necessary.

First try to deal with menopause by changing diet and exercise routines. Suggested by WomenHealth, the diet should be high in fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains. Red meat should be avoided. If this technique does not work, over-the-counter all-natural treatments are available. In some cases, women who quit the long-term prescriptions experience withdrawal from the prescriptions. See a physician before quitting.

Some might argue that long-term HRT prescriptions are the best way to deal with menopause. While both Menopause Online and Bouchez agree that short-term HRT treatment may be beneficial, look at the facts for long-term treatment: The prescriptions cause side effects and may lead to serious illnesses evidently causing more risks than benefits. All-natural treatments do not have side effects and are considered safe by the Federal Drug Administration. Apparently, long-term treatments are not the best method to decrease menopausal symptoms.

Jenny Schlick is a senior at Jackson High School.