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There are many signs and symptoms of menopause and one of the main concerns that women have when they are going through menopause is spotting during menopause and is it normal or not. Well, to an extent menopause spotting is normal, after all your body is changing from going to have a period every single month to having none, so of course it is natural for your body to stop.

One main concern you may have is after you have entered into post menopause and you start spotting heavily, then it is definitely time to consult your doctor, for it can be a sign of something a bit more serious. One of the first symptoms of menopause is irregular periods and this is when your body starts is cycle of stopping the production of estrogen. So it is pretty obvious that some bleeding during menopause is perfectly normal. If however, you are still worried and concerned about the bleeding, it may help to educate yourself on menopause itself and all the stages, signs, symptoms and what exactly you will be going through for the next ten to fifteen years.

One of the main points that women do not realize about menopause is it is not one main stage that you will go through, menopause is broken down into three or four stages. Pre menopause, perimenopause, menopause itself and finally post menopause are the four stages that each and every woman will go through when they are dealing with menopause. While a lot of doctors like to view pre menopause and perimenopause as the same stage, it is a common known fact that they are two different stages.

There is also one more stage that woman in their thirties will end up going through and that is premature menopause. Now, not every woman goes through premature menopause, it is just a few of them. Premature menopause usually hits women whose female family members have had a history of going through premature menopause.

The only time that you are experiencing actual menopause is when you have gone one entire year without any bleeding. This does include spotting, if you are spotting during those twelve months, then you will have to start all over on your count. Menopause is when you have gone a full twelve months without any spotting, bleeding or menstruating what-so-ever. It may be a good idea to keep tabs on how many months you go without bleeding so that way you will have a good indication of when you have gone from pre menopause to menopause itself.

After you have gone the entire year without menopause, you will have entered post menopause and this is when you will have to be concerned if you are still spotting. Spotting when you are in post menopause is absolutely a reason to consult your doctor, for this can be signs of something way more serious. This is especially true if you go from light spotting to actual heavy bleeding. Even though spotting in all the stages of menopause is generally normal, it is still a good idea to get yourself checked out and do not take any precautions.

Lance Thorington is a professional writer and online publisher. Read more about spotting after menopause at the menopause site http://www.menopauseabout.com/

Any woman suffering from PMS can attest as to how exasperating, irksome, uncomfortable, inconvenient, and to a certain extent incapacitating it is. As one of the things that a woman loathes at the onset of her menstrual cycle, PMS can be a curse of not treated right.

Women need not suffer from PMS. What they need to do is to explore home based natural remedies to alleviate the condition. Here are some of them:

1. Increase movement of the body. Getting plenty of exercise can decrease or minimize suffering from the symptoms related to PMS. Exercise in general will promote the well-being and strengthen the bones (especially for women that are prone to osteoporosis).

2. Avoid fats. Minimize the intake of saturated fats since it will worsen the condition. Try substituting pork with fish and chicken. Doing so will also increase protein that is essential for the body.

3. Eat the right foods. The body needs essential nutrients to keep its good health. The diet should be a mix of all the groups in the food pyramid following the recommended daily allowance for nutrients.

4. Supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals. The following vitamins and minerals are proven to be effective in fighting the PMS symptoms:

4.1 Vitamin C - relieves stress and other stress-related symptoms. It is a natural antihistamine and therefore can treat common allergies related to PMS. Vegetables like broccoli and raw peppers, as well as fruits like oranges and citrus are rich in Vitamin C.
4.2 Vitamin A and D - these vitamins resolve issues concerning acne and prevent eye irritations. Good sources of vitamin A are carrots and cantaloupe while the sun and fortified milk give you Vitamin D.
4.3 Vitamin B - vitamin B, especially B6 helps in improving mood swings, lethargy and fatigue, hot flashes, bloating, and fluid retention. Eat more of bananas, potatoes, white meat to get your vitamin B supplement.
4.4 Vitamin E - studies reveal that vitamin E has a potent effect to the hormonal system and can reduce anxiety and depression as well as painful and swelling of the breast. Apples and blackberries contain vitamin E that the body needs.

5. Calcium and magnesium are two important minerals that will benefit the body in its fight against PMS. Calcium is effective in addressing menstrual cramps and relieving body and joint pains, while magnesium is a mood stabilizer.

6. Stay away from caffeine, including a few over the counter drugs that has caffeine in them. Avoid drinking coffee, tea, and chocolates especially during the menstrual cycle.

7. Avoid taking alcoholic beverages during your period. It is not only considered to be a depressant but it can worsen headache and aggravate depression.

8. Increase intake of protein-enriched food as well as take the right amount of carbohydrate to satisfy your cravings.

There are other preventive measures and natural methods that you can do to fight PMS, but what is also important is to have the right attitude towards PMS. Don’t let it rule your life, fight back - the natural way.

Dee Braun, a single mom of 6, is a Cert. Aromatherapist and natural health practitioner. Click now to visit Natural Holistic Health Blog which offers info on more natural remedies & healing techniques for common health & emotional ailments and conditions at http://www.Natural-Holistic-Health.com/

Cramps, mood swings, depression, bloating, body aches and pains in the muscles and joints, headaches … these are just a few of many symptoms of PMS that can plague you each month after ovulation. For a large majority of women, these symptoms are self-treatable without medical intervention. Using over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium reduces body aches and pains as well as headaches and cramping. Changes in diet and exercise help with mood swings, bloating and more.

What happens with that small percentage of women who do not show significant improvement of PMS symptoms? Chances are PMDD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder is the culprit, a more severe and intense form of PMS. Prescription medications and even surgery are options in this case.

Before turning to more drastic measures such as drugs that can cause side effects and irreversible surgery, make sure all options have been exhausted as far as diet and exercise are concerned. Also, try an herbal regimen for a few months to see if it can help. Only once you have tried everything else should you turn to medical science.

Medications that May Be Prescribed

There are drugs that work by temporarily shutting off the ovaries to avoid ovulation, the release of mature eggs. It may take a month or two, but this can help women find relief pretty quickly. The only drawback is that the medications that do this can only be used in the short term. Long term use has not been adequately tested to determine health safety. The drugs that can shut the ovaries off for a while are called GnRH or LHRH analogues. GnRh analogues work to reduce the output of estrogen and have also been prescribed for shrinking fibroid tumors. The LHRH analogues also suppress estrogen as well as ovulation itself.

These analogue drugs help doctors with firming up the diagnosis of PMDD. Because of the side effects of them, they are only prescribed in serious conditions which are hard to treat otherwise. You can expect possible side effects like sweating and skin flushing which are caused by estrogen drops and retaliation from the body due to the ovaries shutting down for a while. These symptoms are similar to that of menopause. Another side effect that is definitely not beneficial is the higher risk of osteoporosis.

Surgical Options

The most drastic of PMDD cases may require surgery to remove the ovaries, the primary gland in the endocrine system in charge of the reproductive system and responsible for these intense PMS symptoms. Surgery is for those women who have no where else to turn to resume a normal lifestyle unless the ovaries are removed.

Hormone replacement therapy is likely once the ovaries are removes, at least until menopause hits. Because surgery is quite drastic, those analogue drugs that suppress ovary function are used first to find relief. Many surgeons hesitate to remove the ovaries at all and often want to wait for other conditions to come up that may warrant such an extreme measure, especially if the woman is still in child-bearing age.

Dee Braun, a single mom of 6, is a Cert. Aromatherapist and natural health practitioner. Click now to visit Natural Holistic Health Blog which offers info on more natural remedies & healing techniques for common health & emotional ailments and conditions at http://www.Natural-Holistic-Health.com/

Is PMS keeping you up at night? Does it interfere in daily activities and is just an all around pain in the rear? You can make changes to your diet and add some great exercises and while they may be somewhat effective, what does it hurt to add another PMS tool to your arsenal?

Consider reflex massage for those minor symptoms all the way to the more severe form of PMS called PMDD. Reflexology presents a natural way to restore the harmony and balance to your spirit, body and mind.

A look at PMS

PMS, short for premenstrual syndrome, is a series of symptoms - over 150 at last count - that you might experience just after ovulation to the first bleeding of the period. However, some women may start early or during the period.

Each woman experiences PMS differently but it should be noted that 85-90% of all women have had PMS at least once. Of that 85-90%, up to 10% may have the more intense form of PMS called PMDD, short for premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Here are a variety of symptoms that you look forward to each month: abdominal cramping, irritability, headaches, skin blemishes, food cravings, breast tenderness, bloating, gas, weight gain, depression, fluid retention, anger and much more.

Reflexology Can Help PMS

Reflexology is primarily performed on the feet, hands and ears. Several studies have shown that almost 50% of people who tried reflex massage have experienced a reduction in symptoms.

It does not work for everyone and some experts in the field believe that it could partially be due to a woman’s disbelief that it could work. The power of wishful thinking could be part of why it is successful for the rest of the women.

Each practitioner of reflexology may manipulate different parts of the body to achieve the same result - reduce your PMS symptoms. The feet, hands and ears all have quite sensitive receptors in them and manipulating them can help stimulate other areas of the body in terms of treatment.

For instance, if you are retaining water, the reflex treatment may concentrate on an area of the body to manipulate with massage that would affect the proper functioning of the kidneys, which can help flush out the excess fluids.

When the reflexologist knows about the PMS, they will work on the specific areas that influence the endocrine system, particularly the glands in the reproductive system as they are responsible for hormone production and distribution.

It is important to note that while you may experience mild improvement after the first session, it will take more sessions to get the full effect. Once you feel you have gone as far as you can go with reflexology sessions, you take a break.

When you feel that the symptoms are under control, start up again. This is the best scenario as most reflex treatment sessions are paid out of pocket because insurance usually does not cover this type of alternative treatment.

With reflexology, you will get relief from PMS symptoms and almost look forward to “that time of the month.” For sure, you will experience a sense of well being and relaxation.

Dee Braun, a single mom of 6, is a Cert. Aromatherapist and natural health practitioner. Click now to visit Natural Holistic Health Blog which offers info on more natural remedies & healing techniques for common health & emotional ailments and conditions at http://www.Natural-Holistic-Health.com/

Insomnia is more common in women as opposed to men. Experts say that every woman will experience a certain degree of insomnia at least once in her life due to certain hormonal imbalances. This usually happens during perimenopausal stages while younger women suffer from insomnia caused by premenstrual syndrome. Insomnia, however, must not be mistaken for getting insufficient sleep as women differ when it comes to the amount of sleep they need. There is this big difference between needing less sleep and not being able to sleep whenever you need it.

To cure insomnia in women, you have to alleviate the causes of sleeping disorders. It is easy to blame it on hormones, but more often than not, it is not the sole culprit. Chronic stress, for example, is a huge contributor to insomnia in women. Stress causes adrenal exhaustion of the DHEA hormone which is an essential sleep regulator. Too much consumption of alcohol, caffeine and carbohydrates especially right before bedtime causes unnecessary alertness that keeps you from sleeping. Unresolved conflicts and anxieties also lead to lack of sleep which makes women prone to insomnia.

There is a large misconception about over-the-counter sleeping pills as being the cure for insomnia. Truth is, sleeping pills are a mere short-term reliever and a dependency on them can induce further sleeping problems. What is needed, then, is to remedy the causes of insomnia in women through natural methods that maintain hormonal balance and ensure a healthy lifestyle.

One thing that works wonders with insomniacs is keeping a sleep journal at your bedside table to track down what exactly is causing your insomnia. On a notebook, simply write down the time you went to bed, the time you awakened in the middle of the night, and the time you got up in the morning.

You may also want to take note of your premenstrual and postmenstrual experience to see if it has an effect on your sleeping habits. Try to maintain the journal in about three months and reread it to find out if there is some kind of pattern. If the journal seems to show you that you are having transitory insomnia during your menstrual cycle, then your hormones might be causing it.

There are measures you can follow in order to alleviate the symptoms of hormonal insomnia. The easiest way is to drink at least one glass of water before going to sleep. Avoidance of caffeine 6 hours before bed time or anything high in sugar content 2 hours before, also prevents insomnia as these chemicals cause mental and physical alertness.

Eating food that is high in magnesium is the way to go for insomniacs. Magnesium-rich foods are soybeans, almonds, lima beans and the likes. Food rich in estrogen has to be added in your diet as well especially if you are in a premenopausal stage. Phytoestrogens are apples, carrots, green beans, and potatoes.

Regular exercise also prevents the symptoms of insomnia in women whose tasks are not quite physically demanding. At least 30 minutes a day, thrice a week will do to avoid insomnia. Indulging yourself in physical activities especially those that allow you to socialize at the same time also discourage stress and fatigue that usually leads to insomnia.

Maintaining a positive outlook in life is essential in keeping a sound mind and body. Always remember that creating lasting relationships and keeping a fair conscience is the best way to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Dee Braun, a single mom of 6, is a Cert. Aromatherapist and natural health practitioner. Click now to visit Natural Holistic Health Blog which offers info on more natural remedies & healing techniques for common health & emotional ailments and conditions at http://www.Natural-Holistic-Health.com/