Menopause Explained VVU Recap: 5 Takeaways with Dr. Elizabeth Cruse

On February 27, 2025, Dr. Elizabeth Cruse, a provider at Valley View’s Internal Medicine, presented a Valley View University in the Women’s Health Series on the topic of “Menopause Explained.” Below are five takeaways from her presentation:

1. “What is menopause?”
Dr. Cruse: Menopause is a natural part of aging for women. The medical term defines menopause as not having had a period for 12 months. Symptoms may appear up to a decade before a period stops. This is known as peri-menopause.

2. “What is the average age of menopause?”
Dr. Cruse: The average age of women experiencing menopause is 52 years old. Women whose periods stop between the ages of 40 and 45 are considered to have experienced early menopause, and women who experience late menopause are those experiencing menopause after the age of 55.

3. “What are the most common symptoms of menopause?”
Dr. Cruse: The most common symptoms of menopause are due to the loss of estrogen. These include hot flashes, mood changes, depression, vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, weakness of the pelvic floor, weight changes, sleep disruption and brain fog.

4. “What are the treatment options for the symptoms of menopause?”
Dr. Cruse:
• Lifestyle modification: Eat healthy, get enough calcium and vitamin D to protect your bone density; be physically active, maintain a healthy weight and don’t smoke. Cut down on alcohol and prioritize sleep.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): There are several types of estrogen that come in the form of topical creams, gels, sprays, patches and pills that can help replace the natural estrogen a woman loses during menopause. When on estrogen be sure to add progesterone to protect the uterus from the estrogen as it presents a higher risk of uterine cancer.
• Non-hormonal treatments: There are some non-hormonal treatments available for women for whom HRT is not recommended or don’t want to take hormone replacement.
• Complementary/alternative treatments: There is little data on the effectiveness or safety of herbal or non-prescription therapies for menopause.

5. “What does HRT treat and what are the benefits?”
Dr. Cruse: HRT treats hot flashes, prevents osteoporosis, treats vulvovaginal symptoms such as dryness and UTIs. The benefits can also include improved sleep, help with urinary incontinence, increased muscle mass, relief from and joint pain and a decreased risk of diabetes.

To watch the entirety of Dr. Cruse’s VVU, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI7yt1aJn7Q. To make an appointment with Dr. Cruse in Glenwood Springs or Silt, call 970.384.6707.