Wherever you are in midlife (see our chart ), if you're experiencing physical and emotional changes, you're not alone. They're part of the natural aging process. About 70% of women experience some changes at this stage of life. Few of us consider them severe, but we can find them annoying and troublesome. Then, there are the possible long-term health conditions that can accompany midlife – increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and incontinence, to name a few. The good news is that we have more options than ever before to address both the short-term issues – the physical and emotional changes – and to help reduce the risk of more serious, long-term health conditions. Take a look.

Menopause is a natural life stage and a gradual process. Of all the changes a woman's body goes through during menopause, decreasing estrogen levels are believed to be the main cause of most symptoms we experience, including hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, and vaginal dryness. Lowered estrogen levels also contribute to the risk of certain health problems, such as heart disease, osteoporosis, incontinence and possibly Alzheimer's disease.

What should we do, if anything, about this natural loss of estrogen? We'll look at several options in this newsletter, particularly hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A popular treatment method, HRT provides
relief of most menopausal symptoms and may help reduce the risk of certain health problems. However, HRT is not for everyone. Some women don't want it. Others cannot tolerate it. In recent years, alternative treatments – herbal remedies, diet (soy and other foods), non-prescription drugs and other approaches – have offered new choices that are intriguing but there are few studies to prove their effectiveness.

Now is the time to understand the symptoms, health risks and options we face. Proactively managing our way through menopause is an opportunity to feel our best, prevent disease and improve our health for the long term.