The first thing you can do to help reduce your symptoms is have a healthy lifestyle.  This will not only reduce your menopause symptoms, but will also lower you risk of heart disease and other problems relating to age.  Best of all, a healthy lifestyle will make you feel like you’re on top of the world!

Here are a few helpful tips for a healthy lifestyle.

Choose a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat. Include plenty of fish, fruits, vegetable, whole grains, beans and high fiber breads.

Get regular exercise.  This will help manage your weight, lift your mood and keep your heart strong.

Limit stress, caffeine and alcohol.  All of these things can make your menopause symptoms worse.  By avoiding them you may sleep better.

If you’re a smoker, quit. This will not only reduce your risk of lung cancer and other long term illnesses, but may also reduce hot flashes.

Try lowering your stress with yoga or meditation.  High stress levels may make your menopause symptoms worse.

Include plenty of calcium in your diet, or take a calcium supplement

If changing to a healthy lifestyle is not enough to relieve your symptoms, you may want to look at some of these suggestions:

Eat a diet rich in Soy (isoflavones).  Some women feel this helps balance out their fluctuating hormones.

The herb, Black Cohosh may help to relieve symptoms.  Experts don’t know if this herb is safe to use for extended periods of time, so be sure and talk to your doctor, before starting any new herbal supplements, to make sure they are safe for you.

If your symptoms are severe, talk to your doctor about prescription treatments like:

Low dose birth control pills, to help you with your fluctuating estrogen levels.

Low dose HRT (hormone replacement therapy)

Antidepressants for mood changes

Prescription medicines for menopause are not without side effects and risks.  Be sure and talk with your doctor about these risks before you start any treatment for menopause symptoms.

Here’s some basic information on what perimenopause is that may help you to better understand it.

Perimenopause is the time in a womans life that marks the beginning of when your body begins its transition into menopause. This transition can take anywhere from two to eight years or even longer. It’s a natural part of aging that signals the ending of your reproductive years.

During this time, your estrogen levels will fluctuate and your menstrual cycles will begin to change until finally when you reach menopause they will stop altogether.

When perimenopause starts and how long it lasts will vary as every woman is different. You’ll probably notice signs or symptoms, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s.

Menopause is a natural part of growing older.  It’s not a disease, or an illness and it doesn’t require treatment unless your symptoms bother you.  It’s a good idea to learn all you can about menopause because knowing what to expect can help you stay as healthy as possible during this phase of your life.