Knowing the difference between fact and fiction when it comes to menopause can make the transition much easier.

Myth No. 1: The Age You Get Your Period Determines the Age You Will Go Through Menopause!

Many women think that when they run out of eggs, they will go through menopause.
So if they get their period earlier, they're going to run out of eggs sooner.
Girls are born with millions of eggs, all the eggs they're going to have in their life.
And when they go through menopause, they still have some eggs.
They're just old and not working anymore.
Genetics seem to determine the age you will go through menopause, but there are a number of factors that can shut down your ovaries early.

Myth No. 2: All Menopause Symptoms Are Temporary, Including Hot Flashes!

Oh I wish that was true, but it's not.
For most women, hot flashes will end within two to three years after menopause, but for about 20 percent of women, they will continue for the rest of their lives.
But thankfully, there are many treatments to keep hot flashes under control.
Hot flashes aren't the only symptom of menopause that can last a lifetime.
Vaginal dryness, which can cause pain during intercourse, irritation, and urinary urgency, isn't temporary and gets worse over time.

Myth No. 3: Eating Certain Foods Will Diminish Hot Flashes!

While some foods, such as hot peppers, refined sugar, and alcohol, increase hot flashes, there's no solid research confirming that certain foods help decrease them.
So she advises her patients to avoid foods that seem to trigger more hot flashes.

Myth No. 4: Weight Gain Is a Result of Menopause!

When a women goes through menopause, the lack of estrogen will cause a redistribution of weight.
So that lovely muffin top, that spills around the top of the jeans, that is absolutely a result of menopause.
But interestingly, a lack of estrogen does not slow down your metabolism.
There is a number of reasons women gain weight around the time they go through menopause.
Menopausal symptoms disturb sleep, a known cause of weight gain.
And it's difficult to exercise when you’re exhausted.
When most women go through menopause in their early 50's, kids have moved out of the house, activity decreases, and diets change.
So many midlife struggles happen around the same time as menopause, and it's really hard to figure out what's hormones and what's life.

Myth No. 5: After Menopause, You Are Less Like to Contract an STD!

The CDC is actually reporting increasing numbers of sexually transmitted infections in middle aged and older women.

Women who are peri and post menopausal tend to have thin vaginal tissue, which is more vulnerable to infection.
Every exposure doesn't result in an infection, but if you have very thin vulnerable tissue, you're more likely to get an infection.