The team at Cherry Hills Midwifery, Obstetrics, & Gynecology has helped many middle-aged women who live in Englewood, Colorado and elsewhere in the Denver area. Dr. Andrew Ross and Mindy Willits specialize in menopause management and osteoporosis screening.

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What Exactly Is Menopause?

Menopause occurs on average at 52 when the ovaries stop making estrogen.  Symptoms include cessation of menstrual periods, hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, depression, irritability and painful intercourse. Once a woman is in menopause, she is always in menopause but the symptoms may abate with time.

Menopause is a stage that most women go through if they live to be middle-aged or older. Doctors define the start of menopause at 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual cycle. At this point, it’s usually safe to conclude that the woman’s menstrual cycles have stopped. Most women experience this during their 40s or 50s.

What Menopause Management Options Are Available?

At Cherry Hills Midwifery, Obstetrics, & Gynecology, we believe that hormone replacement therapy with natural estrogen and progesterone is a safe and effective treatment for the above symptoms and also prevents bone loss. We feel natural hormone replacements used through skin absorption do not increase the risks of heart attacks, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer.

Many doctors recommend using hormone replacement therapy as a menopause management strategy. As women go through menopause, their bodies produce fewer hormones. Hormone replacement compensates for the decrease in naturally produced hormones by providing supplemental hormones that complement the hormones the body is still producing. This can mitigate the effects of menopause, including osteoporosis.

What Precisely Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a medical condition that causes a person’s bones to become weak. Bones can become so weak and brittle that a fall or minor stress can cause them to break. As people age, their bone density decreases. Thus, it’s most common in elderly adults.

While osteoporosis can affect anyone, it’s more common in women than men. The hormonal changes that women’s bodies undergo lack of estrogen during menopause place them at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis.  Natural estrogen replacement is the best treatment for osteoporosis and to prevent osteoporosis.

How Is Osteoporosis Diagnosed?

Osteoporosis is diagnosed by using an osteoporosis screening. An osteoporosis screening using low-level X-rays to assess the minerals in certain bones. Not all bones need to be tested because doctors can extrapolate the results to determine whether a person has weak bones. and  Tthe screening is painless. and quick.

An osteoporosis screening takes just a short amount of time. After a few preliminary items are taken care of, patients are usually asked to lie down on a table. A protective vest may be placed over them, and then certain bones are X-rayed. Usually, the hips, wrists, and spine are checked. After the X-rays are complete, the screening is finished. Patients are typically welcome to return home, and a doctor will typically call in a few days with the results.