Menopause and Healthy Aging

Managing your Midlife Transition

Every woman navigates her midlife transition distinctly, bringing with her a personal set of goals, aspirations, anxieties, and concerns. Dr. Leslie Peterson is passionate and highly experienced in helping patients navigate the menopausal transition by thoroughly explaining the bodily changes and providing effective solutions for a smoother experience.

Midlife offers you an opportunity to reevaluate your priorities for living, to discover what is truly important and to perhaps explore new and exciting ways of living. We begin with a thorough evaluation of the current state of your health, defining your goals and exploring your options for hormonal replacement, if that is right for you. I look forward to accompanying you on this journey!

What Is Menopause?

Every woman who lives long enough will experience changes in her menstrual cycles and ovulatory function, with the eventual loss of her naturally occurring reproductive hormones. “Menopause” literally means, “the cessation of menses” with the average age in North America being about 53. A woman is officially “menopausal” when she has not had a period for 12 months.

Some women experience menopause for other reasons such as after hysterectomies, certain cancer treatments or medications and certain chronic illnesses. There are less common situations of “premature ovarian insufficiency” where younger women may cease ovulating and menstruating for no obvious reason.

And while many women associate the loss of their menstrual cycles with a particular kind of freedom from the management of fertility and uncomfortable “period problems”, the reality for most is that the decline of these important hormones (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and others) may be accompanied by numerous symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, loss of libido, brain fog, mood changes, weight gain, fatigue, digestive issues, vaginal dryness, and more. The changes resulting from the decline and subsequent loss of hormonal production can, for many women, lead to significant health declines and disease. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, degenerative joint diseases, vaginal dryness, chronic urinary tract infections - just to name a few - are all directly connected to the loss of hormones in a woman’s body.