Lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes.

Hot flashes are a common complaint among women as they transition through menopause. This article reviews the evidence of lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes including obesity, exercise, smoking, relaxation techniques, and acupuncture. Further randomized controlled trials regarding these lifestyle alterations are needed to determine their full potential benefits regarding hot flashes.

Reproductive aging, sexuality and symptoms.

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects ~50% of postmenopausal women. Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed because both patients and health-care providers may be reluctant to bring it up at an annual office visit. FSD encompasses both physical and emotional components, all of which are often intermingled.

The continuum of ovarian aging and clinicopathologies associated with the menopausal transition.

The increased length of time that women live after the menopause has provided the impetus for the scientific and public communities to better understand the relationship between ovarian aging and pathologic conditions that present later in life. The maximal size of the ovarian germ cell pool occurs at midgestation and is followed by a continuous decline in oogonia through birth, puberty, the reproductive years, and finally, the menopause. The association between the relative hypoestrogenemia that occurs in the menopausal transition and the symptomatology of that stage of life has been widely studied.

The menopause transition.

The menopause transition is a period of life during which a series of dynamic changes in physiology are taking place. There seems to be a transient increase in symptoms of many types, which are occasionally severe. There is a disproportionate burden of morbidity that seems to accrue to women of high body mass index and low socioeconomic status.