Menopause Specialist

As you head toward menopause, you’re likely to experience a variety of symptoms from changing hormone levels. Laura April Gago, MD, is highly experienced and compassionate when it comes to menopause issues and offers effective solutions to reduce your symptoms at Gago Center for Fertility. At its three locations in Brighton, Ann Arbor, and Lansing, Michigan, you can receive both hormonal and nonhormonal therapies to alleviate frustrating menopause-related symptoms and improve your overall quality of life. Learn more about menopause relief by calling the office closest to you or using the convenient online booking feature.

What is menopause?

Menopause is a natural aging process, occurring when a woman’s period stops for at least 12 consecutive months. This phase of life begins as perimenopause, the months or years leading up to the end of your menstrual cycle.

The typical age menopause occurs is 54. However, many women begin experiencing the effects of menopause in their 30s and 40s.

Throughout perimenopause and after reaching menopause, your hormones fluctuate wildly rather than decreasing in a nice, smooth pattern. As a result, you can experience a wide range of symptoms, including some severe enough to interfere with your life.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

Perimenopause and menopause affect women differently and as a result, you can experience a variety of symptoms that other women may not.

Common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Mood swings
• Night sweats
• Painful sex
• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Thinning hair or hair loss
• Dry skin

How is menopause diagnosed?

To officially be in menopause, your periods must stop for 12 consecutive months. Dr. Gago performs blood work to measure the levels of estrogen and other reproductive hormones. This can help determine where you are on your journey towards menopause.

Otherwise, Dr. Gago evaluates your symptoms and if any are interfering with your quality of life, she creates a custom treatment plan to alleviate the severity of menopause-related symptoms.

What treatments are available for menopause symptom relief?

While menopause is a naturally occurring phase of life and there’s no cure for it, Dr. Gago can use hormonal therapies to rebalance your levels of reproductive hormones. By giving your body a steady supply of hormones, she helps alleviate the intensity of your symptoms or resolves them completely.

For women who can’t tolerate hormone therapy, Dr. Gago offers nonhormonal treatment options, including Forma. This innovative radiofrequency technology heats the deep layers of your vaginal tissue to trigger the increased production of collagen. New, healthy collagen develops over time, plumping up your vaginal tissue and reducing symptoms, like vaginal dryness and painful sex.

Votiva technology can also be effective after you’ve reached your postmenopausal years, when vaginal atrophy, or a thinning of the vaginal tissues, occurs.

There’s no need to struggle through your perimenopausal years alone. Schedule a consultation at Gago Center for Fertility by phone or with the online booking feature.