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Hot Flashes, Irregular Periods, Vaginal Dryness, OH MY!

ThriveOB and Women's Wellness Blog Hot Flashes, Irregular Periods, Vaginal Dryness, OH MY!
Menopause is the time of life when your menstrual cycle stops and you can no longer become pregnant. You officially reach menopause when you haven’t had a period for 12 consecutive months. The average age of menopause is 51. 
 
Before your periods end, you go through perimenopause. Perimenopause can last for five years or more as your estrogen levels fluctuate and decline. This can start in your early 40s. 
 
The hormonal changes that accompany perimenopause and menopause can cause uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms like:
 
 
 
Each woman has a unique experience with menopause. Your symptoms can vary and range in severity. Your experience could be completely different than your sister, mother, or friends. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to make an appointment with your health provider because there are treatment options and because these changes may be signs of other health problems. 
 
-Stephanie Romer, APN, WHNP-C
Author
Stephanie Romer APRN WHNP Stephanie Romer, WHNP-BC, has been a board certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner since 1998. She provides office-based obstetrical and gynecological care. Stephanie has a special interest in working with teens and young adults, as well as helping women in their perimenopause and menopause years. Her areas of specialty are gynecology and in-office procedures. Stephanie completed her nursing degree at State College of Florida in 1991. She spent six years as an ambulatory ob-gyn nurse in New York before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania/PPFA Ob/Gyn Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program in 1998. She is nationally certified as a Women's Healthcare Nurse Practitioner from the NCC and has been working as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner in Barrington, IL since 1999. Stephanie is a member of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH) and the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing. Outside of work, Stephanie is busy as a wife and mom. She has a daughter,

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