Perimenopausal Depression

By Staness Jonekos

If you are suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, cranky moods or feeling hopeless for prolonged periods – you may be experiencing perimenopausal depression.  Researchers have shown that hormones directly affect the brain chemistry that controls emotions and mood.

Perimenopausal symptoms may be the cause of depression, and for some, it may even be clinical depression.

According to the North American Menopause Society:

A depressed mood –This is a normal, brief period of feeling blue or sad that is commonly experienced and rarely requires treatment.

Depression as a symptom – This type of depression may be due to a wide variety of medical or psychological problems, or to intense reactions to life events (such as divorce, losing a job, death of a loved one). It is usually short-term and most often does not require treatment, although it can progress to clinical depression.

Clinical depression — This is a pathologic disorder believed to result from a chemical imbalance in the brain. A clinical (major) depression requires treatment.

Women who had severe PMS in their younger years may experience more severe mood swings during perimenopause. There are many factors that can cause an increased risk for depression from your genes, to having a prior history to taking certain medications.  Certain endocrine disorders, such as hypothyroidism, or other illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, are also associated with depression.

Signs and symptoms include:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.

Mild depression – feeling blue or sad – can be dealt with cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, meditation, Yoga, getting enough sleep, a positive outlook, healthy eating, incorporating appropriate supplements, acupuncture, and exercise. Exercise boosts your endorphins and can lift your mood. Engaging in new activities may help, such as taking Yoga or Pilate’s class, or getting out and trying new things, all while enlisting the support of your family and friends.

If you have lingering or worsening symptoms, you may need medication.  Depression can be a malfunction of your neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin, which is the feel good neurotransmitter. Medicines can be enormously helpful, although you will want to incorporate lifestyle changes as well.

According to the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation(SWAN):

The risk of major depression is greater for women during and immediately after the menopausal transition than when they are pre-menopausal.

If you suffer from depression whether mild, moderate or clinical, get support and visit your health care provider to discuss your options.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Sexy Feelings Heading South After 40?

by Dr. Jennifer Landa

It’s 10 p.m. and you’ve had a very busyl work day. You’ve finally had a chance to shower off that hectic mess of a day and pour yourself a small glass of red wine to sip while watching the early evening news. All of sudden, he walks in with his suggestive grin and you begin to cringe at the thought of  having to perform ANYTHING…especially sex!

His grin used to be all you ever needed to get in the mood.  But now, something’s different. The two of you have been so busy that you haven’t even seen or talked to each other all day, you’re feeling so tired that you can barely hold your wine glass up and (quite frankly) sex is the last thing on your mind for tonight…or any other night this month for that matter.

It seems that after years of having passionate sex, many women lose that “sexy feeling” once they get into their 40s. Is this just something we have to accept as a usual change in our bodies and lives? Will we ever have that same desire for sex we once had in our 20s and 30s?

Here’s the deal. In our younger years, sex drive has a lot to do with biology and our physical “urge to merge.” Our bodies have a need to procreate and make babies! As we enter our 40s, our hormone levels start to fluctuate because our bodies no longer feel that need. However, just because our reproductive years are ending doesn’t mean our sex life has to end also!

If you’re finding it harder and harder to get into the mood, that’s okay – it’s a natural stage in a woman’s life. That just means it’s probably time to reboot your libido because sex is definitely a very important part of a happy and healthy lifestyle.

I’ve recently written a book to help women everywhere reignite their sex lives and continue to live a healthy lifestyle. I talk about a passion for passion in my book titled Libido Reboot, (due out later this year) and I explain the many things women can do to help them suffering from a low sex drive.

However, I didn’t always have a passion for passion. I was only 28 years-old when I started losing my sex drive…only 28! Between working a very stressful 100 hours per week as an OB/GYN resident and being on the birth control pill (which drastically changed my hormones) I could have cared less about sex. Since then, I’ve obviously found some methods that got my libido going again.

Rejuvenating your libido is a multidimensional process. Be prepared to invest time, attention, and energy into this journey. Be prepared for a change in diet, a shift in physical activity patterns, and a new awareness of where your time and energy are best spent.

The most important thing to remember is that there’s no one definition of a healthy libido – it’s different for every woman.                                        

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,” there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system and a dream.  All things are possible”.  Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Faking Orgasm Doesn’t Work

By Linda Franklin

Men might find this difficult to believe, but more than half of all women have faked an orgasm, according to a study published last week.  After questioning more than 400 women they found  53.9 per cent  had pretended to reach the heights of ectasy with their partner.  Many said they did it to preserve his male ego and prevent him from straying.

So why are so many women secretly dissatisfied with their sex lives?  

If you go to bed exhausted every night or fight over the smallest things with your partner, it will definitely have an impact on your sex drive. Sex has got to be fun and when it’s not you find any reason  to pass.  A lack of libido is a common problem, with an astonishing 30  per cent of women claiming to have no sex drive at all.

The lack of libido can be caused by other factors too, including illness or a decline in hormones, which is common during peri-menopause and menopause.

‘Libido is a complex issue — it’s a mix of brain, heart and hormones.  And, many women are too embarrassed to talk about it.  

Sex is something we do need to talk about, and the best place to do that is in the doctor’s office.  Not just any doctor, but a doctor who you trust and who is compassionate to your problem.  There are many answers to a low sex drive.  Some remedies are as easy as a progesterone cream or testosterone patch.  But, you need to know what works for you.

Sexual satisfaction is too delicious to go without. Find out how you can start enjoying one of the undeniable pleasures of life.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Menopause In Your 30′s

by Dr. Jennifer Landa BodyLogicMD

 

I’m too young for menopause right? It’s funny. Women are always talking about how they can’t wait to be done with their periods forever!  But, when it finally does come,  they find that they’re not quite ready for menopause – especially if it comes earlier than expected.

Recently, a study was done involving 5,000 women in which 7% of those women went through “the change” before their 40^th birthday. It was previously believed that only 1-2% of women went through menopause before their 40^th birthday. So what happened? It used to be that we could expect to go through menopause around the same age our mother did – which would be well into our late 40s or 50s. But now, things have changed. 

I can tell you that the risk of autoimmune disease is much higher today than it ever used to be. Autoimmune diseases can seriously affect your body’s major systems. These diseases are usually caused from your bodily systems working overtime to respond to unwanted and unhealthy substances you consume.  The same thing applies with early menopause.  Consistently poisoning your body with things it doesn’t need will make your body work that much harder, which can then cause you to go through menopause earlier than you planned.

Some of the different things that you could be poisoning yourself with that contribute to earlier menopause include:

• Environmental toxins: many women are consuming an increased level of environmental toxins like xenoestrogens, BPA and parabens – all of which are hormone disruptors that can increase your risk of estrogen dominance, aka hormone imbalance between estrogen and progesterone.   There are many other toxins that we are exposed to – others may come in the form of pesticides so try to go organic and wash fruits and vegetables well before you eat them.
• Diet: if you know you have a food sensitivity or intolerance, there’s a reason why you shouldn’t be eating those foods (and it’s not just to punish you). You may not even know you have a food sensitivity. A good way to find out if you do is to try an elimination diet. Once you know what foods affect you negatively, stay away from them as they can greatly increase your risk of autoimmune disease and lead to earlier menopause.
• Stress: your own internal toxins are yet another obstacle your body has to process. And not only is it another toxin your body is dealing with, stress also wreaks havoc on our hormone levels, which (if permanent damage is done) can also increase the risk of early menopause.

Obviously, early menopause can also be caused by different surgical procedures such as a hysterectomy, chemotherapy or the removal of your ovaries.

Although it’s usually a rite of passage for women later in their lives, if you continue to poison yourself with environmental toxins, bad food and stress you might just go through “the change” earlier than you had planned, which has negative health consequences for you including increased risks of osteoporosis, premature heart disease, premature dementia and loss of sex drive and decreased overall quality of life. 

So clean up your lifestyle now.  Take steps to prevent early menopause starting today.

 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality.  Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Menopause Before Forty

by Dr. Jennifer Landa BodyLogicMD

I’m too young for menopause right? It’s funny. Women are always talking about how they can’t wait to be done with their periods forever!  But, when it finally does come, many women find that they’re not quite ready for menopause – especially if it comes earlier than expected.

Recently, a study was done involving 5,000 women in which 7% of those women went through “the change” before their 40^th birthday. It was previously believed that only 1-2% of women went through menopause before their 40^th birthday. So what happened? It used to be that we could expect to go through menopause around the same age our mother did – which would be well into our late 40s or 50s. But now, things have changed.

Menopause And How It Affects Your Man

Menopause is a time of profound change for women, both physically and emotionally. But what about the husbands and partners we share our lives with? How are the changes we are going through affecting them?

It’s a subject that touches millions, but is rarely spoken about. Until now. In her new book, Sex, Meaning and The Menopause, psychotherapist Sue Brayne persuaded a group of men, all married to women who were going, or had gone, through menopause, to open up about their experiences.

Their stories show how menopause can cut right to the heart of a man’s sense of masculinity.

Women have each other to talk to or pick up the pieces when our worlds fall apart. But men don’t have that innate capacity. They may mumble to their friends about something that’s bothering them, but it’s rarely an open or honest conversation. 

Sexual Boredom – From HoHum To Cougar Crazy

Guest blogger Dr. Michael L. Krychman, Medical Director of Sexual Medicine Hoag Hospital and Executive Director of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine reveals how to take your sex life from tiresome to thrilling and banish sexual boredom. 

What is Sexual boredom? Even if you absolutely love chocolate chip cookies having them every night week after week, day after day and year after year can lead to some periods of monotony.  Sexual boredom is not uncommon for many couples.  They need to modify the sexual  routine by changing the erotic  script.

Cougar Women Are Solving The Hormone Puzzle

If you feel like you have absolutely no control over your hormones, I’m here to tell you that you do. As a physician who has extensive training and specializes exclusively in bioidentical hormones and preventive medicine, a former OB/GYN and, of course, a woman, I know how important it is to feel in control of your body — both physically and mentally. That’s the whole reason I transitioned into preventative and regenerative medicine — to help the many women I saw as an OB/GYN who were complaining about hormonal symptoms they felt they had no control over.

My mission as a doctor now is to teach my patients what they can do to achieve a balanced life and prevent disease using the most natural and advanced therapies available.  There is no doubt in my mind that preventive medicine is the future of medicine — I am excited to be on the cutting-edge of this new paradigm of health care for women [and men.]

My days are filled with appointments of women looking for relief from the often-debilitating symptoms of hormone imbalance, such as; fatigue, sleep issues, weight gain, low libido, depression and many others. Patients arrive at my office with hopes that I will prescribe them a magic pill and turn back the clock and have them feeling like their younger, sexier selves.

Male Menopause Is Making Women Miserable

Has the man in your life suddenly become grumpy and irritable, not as interested in sex and more content to sit on the sofa and watch TV?  The Real Cougar Woman of today is learning all she can about menopause and what happens to her body when her hormones get out of whack.  But what about the guys?

Men experience a different type of “menopause”.  It usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 60—but sometimes as early as 30.  The production of the male sex hormone testosterone diminishes gradually after age 40 and because it's a gradual decline, the symptoms may not be as pronounced as in our female menopause.

Testosterone is the predominant male sex hormone. It stimulates sperm production and organ growth.  It aids muscle and bone growth too by facilitating the use of proteins.  Testosterone also improves the cardiovascular system, protects against obesity, diabetes and improves brain function.

Menopausal Cougars And Their Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde Transition

Going through menopause can be challenging both physically and emotionally. Your world is turning inside out. And, because you don't fully understand what's happening yourself, you find it difficult to communicate verbally to those who are a target for your moodiness, crankiness, anger and hot flashes.

Many Real Cougars are finding it easier to express themselves their frustration in a letter rather than face-to-face.  Just by writing everything down it can help you make better sense of it.  It puts you in a better position to explain your  Dr. Jekyll-Mr Hyde personality to family, friends and people you work with.

An example of such a letter might read like this:

Dear ________________,

Lately I have not been feeling like myself. Despite the daily stresses we all experience, I am going through perimenopause (menopause, postmenopause or surgical menopause) and suffering from uncomfortable symptoms. This is a normal, natural part of a woman’s life. Yet, I am feeling anxiety about my changing body, roller-coaster emotions, constant hot flashes and aging that are starting to unfold. Unfortunately, we live in a society that does not embrace this transition. I would like to ask for your support and understanding as I pass through this important time in my life.