Menopause – Heidelberg

What is Menopause?

And what happens at Menopause?

God did I just mention the M word!

Menopause is not a disease or disorder

Menopause is a natural transformational process, marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years. It needn’t be miserable.

The menopause journey can be difficult to navigate. Menopause occurs naturally between the ages of 45 -55 years of age, with the average onset around 50 years of age.

Menopause occurs due to changes in hormone levels. Hormones are chemicals produced in your body, these hormones control different functions in the body, including breathing; metabolism; reproduction; sensory perception; movement; sexual function; temperature; digestion and repair of cells. These alterations to the hormone levels, facilities changes in the body. Disrupting the balance, resulting in menopause and the symptoms experienced by the drop and eventually cessation of these hormones. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are the 3 hormones relevant at menopause.

Females are born with limited amount of eggs which are stored in the ovaries. The ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone which help control menstruation and ovulation. Menopause occurs when the ovaries no longer produce eggs causing the natural production of hormones to slow down and eventually stops all together. There is no clear start or end point. These changes tend to happen over time causing irregular cycles, vaginal dryness, night/day sweats, hot flushes, chills, sleep issues, mood changes, weight gain and slowed metabolism.

When Does Menopause occur?

Most women reach menopause naturally between the ages of 45 – 55 years of age. Menopause may occur at an earlier age due to genetics, lifestyle factors, chromosome effects, autoimmune diseases and Epilepsy.

The average age in Australia is 51-52 years of age.

Stages of Menopause

Peri menopause – Menopause - Postmenopausal

Source: MedicineNet - https://www.medicinenet.com/menopause/article.htm

What is Peri menopause?

Peri menopause refers to the time leading up to menopause, when females start to experience changes.

· Ovaries gradually stat to produce less estrogen

· Menstrual cycles can become less regular

· Menstrual cycles may be lighter/heavier

· Symptoms may include – Hot flushes, night sweats, general aches a pains, fatigue, irritability, weight gain

· In some cases symptoms can be experienced for 5-10yrs before the final menstrual cycle which is the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.

It is difficult to predict the age when menopause symptoms start or how long the symptoms will last, it depends on your hormone levels and unfortunately we can’t turn it off like a tap and make it stop

Diagnosis of Perimenopause

There is no actual test, as perimenopause is a transition to menopause. Most often the diagnosis of perimenopause is based on your symptoms, age, and menstrual history and changes your boy maybe experiencing.

Symptoms of Perimenopause

· Hot flashes

· Breast tenderness

· Lower sex drive

· Fatigue

· Irregular periods

· Vaginal dryness

· Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing

· Urinary urgency

· Mood swings

· Trouble sleeping

· Periods are very heavy, or have blood clots

· Periods last several days longer than usual

· Spotting between periods

· Spotting after sex

· Periods happen closer together

Menopause

The term menopause refers to the stage when you have not had a menstrual cycle for 12mths. This is when the ovaries have cased releasing eggs.

How do I know I am going through menopause?

You may not know exactly when menopause has actually occurred until you have not had a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months. You may notice changes in the months, sometimes years to the lead up of your final menstrual cycle.

Menopause is a unique experience for each individual. Some women may not experience a lot of symptoms and others experience multiply and physiological symptoms, in some cases the symptoms may last for an extended time.

Symptoms of Menopause

· Hot flushes are a common around the time of menopause. Hot flushes can vary in intensity and can be followed by chills and or sweating. Night sweats may also occur, waking drenched in sweat. It’s a good idea to have a fan ready; a damp face cloth and wear light weight clothing, reduce stress and reduce consumption of hot spicy foods.

· Sleep Issues can be caused by the disruption in sleep due to hot flushes paired with the changes in hormone levels.

· Vaginal Dryness can be due to reduced levels of estrogen being produced, causing decreased blood supply to the vagina, the tissue lining becomes thinner resulting in dryness and less elasticity and can be prone to vaginal infections.

· Urinary changes, like the vagina lining the lining of the urethra undergoes change resulting in urination frequency and leakage

· Changes in Libido can occur due to changes in hormone levels, this may decrease or increase sex drive. Be aware there are other factors can contribute to your sex drive not just menopause, stress, poor sleep and anxiety.

· Weight Gain is often associated with menopause however is not necessary the only contributor, aging, slower metabolism, reduction in muscle mass and genetic factors can contribute to weight gain, so move more eat healthy.

It is always a good idea to consult your Health Care Professional if you think you are experiencing Peri menopause or Menopause, they will be able to help you with a treatment plan to help regulate your symptoms. Don’t just assume that the symptoms you are experiencing are related to Peri menopause or menopause as there can be number of different factors involved.

Post Menopause

Is the time after menopause; when your symptoms of Menopause start to subside.

Due to the reduction in hormones combined with aging and genetic factors, postmenopausal women can be at a higher risk of other health issues such as osteoporosis and heart disease. Prevention is the key, regular health checks – Pap smear, breast checks, blood pressure, cholesterol and bone health need to be monitored.

Menopause Treatment

Managing your symptoms?

Research, being informed is a great place to start.

Menopause is not a Disease it is a natural occurrence. Eat well, exercise regularly, get out and enjoy life.

Depending on you symptoms, medical history and overall health there are options available some of which include hormone replacement therapy, medication, acupuncture and life style changes. There are other alternatives available to help regulate your symptoms.

· Control your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other risk factors for heart disease.
· Limit coffee and alcohol intake
· Exercise
· Calcium and Vit D rich foods
· Practice slow breathing when a hot flush starts
· Try relaxation techniques – Yoga, meditation, tai chi
· Use a water based lubricants during sex
· Keep sexually active
· Talk to you partner, even though they can’t fix it, they will have a better understanding of your situation and can help support you
· Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
· Eat lots of fruit and veg as it may help keep bones healthy, and can help prevent weight gain and certain diseases.
· Avoid trigger foods, certain foods may trigger hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings. This may include caffeine, sugar, alcohol, hot and spicy foods

The key to effective treatment is to talk to your health care professional/s about your options which will help you decided the best treatment plan for you.

How can Healing Harmony Wellness Centre help?

· Nutritional supplementation

Some supplements can be useful to help reduce symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and assist with reducing hot flushes and sleep issues, anxiety such as Metagenics O – Lift hormone support, based on Chinese Medicine herbal formula

Chinese Herbal Medicine

The use of Chinese herbs has been around for centuries. Your herbal prescription is tailored to meet your individual requirements, to help support you and your body. We prescribed granule or liquid herbs, so there is no cooking, making it easier and convenient. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs supplement each other. The decision is completely up to you.
Recent systematic review (1, 2)aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of Chinese Medicine Herbs (CMH) for managing hot flushes. The review indicated CMH were safe and improved hot flushes associated with Menopause. Further studies would be worth exploring.

Acupuncture

A study of Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) Study: a Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trial (3) Found that a course of acupuncture treatments showed a significant reduction in hot flushes and night sweats associated with menopause.

For more information on how we can help you, extinguish your hot flushes or on other health concerns you may have contact us or to make an appointment book online . We are here to help In any way we can.

Sources

1- Chinese Herbal Formula for the treatment of menopausal hot flushes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mingdi Li, Andrew Hung, George Binh Lenon, Angela Wei Hong Yang , Sept 2019 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222383

2- A review of effective herbal medicines in controlling menopausal symptoms - Rahele Kargozar,1 Hoda Azizi,2 and Roshanak Salari3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783135/

3- A study of Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) Study: a Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trial- Nancy E. Avis, PhD,1 Remy R. Coeytaux, MD, PhD,2 Scott Isom, MS,3 Kristen Prevette, BA,1 and Timothy Morgan - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4874921/

Image -MedicineNet - https://www.medicinenet.com/menopause/article.htm