Someone listed the Seven Dwarves of Menopause as Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful and Psycho. If you are a woman in the throes of Menopause, you may be tempted to make up your own list of woe-betides. After all, there are more than 35 identifiable symptoms and a growing pool of menopausal women. By the year 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the number to be 20 million.

Menopause may spell dread, like a beautiful orchid on her last glow. However, more and more women are discovering the power surge of deliverance from her menstrual cycles.
Menopause simply means the end of your menstrual periods, technically, a year after the last drop of blood. To trace the Greek root of the word, meno means month or menses and pausis means pause (that's was easy).

The onset of menopause differs from woman to woman, but typically falls between the ages of 45 to 55. Before menopause sets in, the body generally experiences the prelude to menopause, known as perimenopause. It is marked by irregularities in menstrual cycle along with typical symptoms of menopause. Some women can experience perimenopause as early as in their thirties.

What then are the tell-tale signs of menopause? A lot of the symptoms seem similar to Premenstrual Syndrome, except now, you have a medical condition to blame your "misbehavior" on.

Symptoms include the following, though it's by no means exhaustive:

* Hot Flashes or night sweats
* Headaches
* Fatigue
* Mood swings (another word: irritability)
* Insomnia
* Loss of Desire
* Weight gain
* Stiffness or joint pain
* Fuzzy thinking
* Anxiety
* Heart palpitation
* Breast pain or tenderness
* Vaginal dryness
* Urinary dysfunction
* Digestive issues
* Irregular periods
* Hair loss
* Dry skin

These symptoms are associated with the decrease in fertility as ovulation becomes more irregular as the body prepares to shut down the reproductive capabilities. This causes estrogen production to decline, which in turn triggers off hormonal imbalance and biochemical fluctuation.

Even though the symptoms may seem overwhelming, they are in fact manageable with a number of options. Always discuss with your doctor before you embark on any of these options.

1. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT).

a. just Estrogen alone via pill, cream, vaginal pill or transdermal (skin) patch.
b. Cyclical therapy where estrogen is taken daily in a pill or via skin patch and

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