Everyone talks about the personality changes that puberty brings.  We have all laughed and feared when sweet little kiddos turn into hormone devils.  The hormonal teens with mood swings, crushes, forgetful, hungry, sleeping all day, body hair, acne, and periods.  But none of this compares to the perimenopausal woman. The perimenopausal woman is the ultimate […]

There are many causes of vaginal bleeding, the most common being dryness.   Vaginal bleeding, not a period can be a scary experience.  Usually bleeding from vaginal dryness will occur during or after intercourse. Picture this, after having a nice time with your partner, relaxing in the bliss of post-sex.  You look down to see […]

Plenty of women complain of a “fishy smell down south.” But they are filled with trepidation to talk to their doctor, health care practitioner about their fishy-like vaginal odor.  Of course when thinking of odor, itching or something going on “down there,” doctors will first look at infection, sexually transmitted diseases or yeast overgrowth. Then […]

  What is constipation? Constipation is fewer than three bowel movements per week. Having hard to pass, dry and small bowel movements.  Constipation can be quite painful with bloating and pressure and aggravate hemorrhoids. Constipation can cause a few burdensome conditions such as dysbiosis with candida overgrowth leading to leaky gut, bloating, weight gain, liver […]

Sleep trouble is common in women but it is especially apparent in perimenopause.  Most often women in perimenopause complain they cannot stay asleep through the night.  In perimenopause, some women will comment there may be no trouble falling asleep but 4 hours later they wake up.   Once awake they cannot fall back to sleep […]

  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately 10-15% women of reproductive age in the United States.  In PCOS, the ovaries develop multiple follicles and cysts and a lack of ovulation.  There are many symptoms such as hirsutism, weight gain associated with PCOS as well as infertility.  In addition the physical […]

  During menopause or if a woman has her ovaries removed (hysterectomy/oophorectomy), estrogen (along with progesterone) will plummet.  This drop in estrogen is what causes vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy, creating pain with sex. What’s estrogen got to do with it? Estrogen has everything to do with vaginal dryness.  Estrogen hydrates and strengthens the vaginal […]

  Menopause is a process that every female will eventually go through. A women has truly entered menopause after she has missed her period for a full year or has had an oophorectomy/hysterectomy (removal of ovaries and uterus). Menopause is not an overnight occurrence but is a phase of a life that can last from […]

  Menopause is when a woman is no longer producing hormones from her ovaries. The main hormones produced from the ovaries are estrogen and progesterone. A woman’s hormones will decline and cease with age or if she has her ovaries removed, which is called an oophorectomy.    When a woman undergoes a oophorectomy, she will usually […]