Menopause

Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when the ovaries stop producing estrogen and regular periods stop. Menopause is not a medical problem, it is a natural biological process.

For most women, menopause does not happen instantly or overnight, it is gradual and most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, the average being around 50. This depends on the individual body development and hormone levels.

As you approach menopause the production of hormones (for example estrogen) by the ovaries starts to slow down. As this process accelerates, hormone levels fluctuate more and often a woman notices changes in her menstrual cycle:

• Cycles may become longer, shorter or totally irregular
• Bleeding may become lighter, unpredictable or heavy

Eventually the hormone levels will fall to a level where menstruation will cease altogether and then menopause is reached.

Other signs and symptoms

The main symptom of period pain is cramping pain in the lower abdomen (pelvis), which begins just before the start of menstrual bleeding and usually lasts about 2 or 3 days. The severity ranges from mild to severe and incapacitating.

Other symptoms associated with period pain include:

• Hot flashes as your estrogen level drops, your blood vessels may expand rapidly, causing your skin temperature to rise
• Decreased fertility
• Vaginal dryness
• Sleep disturbances and night sweats
• Changes in appearance
• Emotional changes
• Mood swings
• Aches and pains
• Crawling or itching sensations under the skin
• Forgetfulness
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Lack of self-esteem
• Reduced sex drive (libido)
• Tiredness
• Urinary frequency

Menopause risks

Several chronic medical conditions tend to appear after menopause. By becoming aware of the following conditions, you can take steps to help reduce your risk:

• Osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular disease
• Stress urinary incontinence
• Weight gain

This is an inevitable shift in a woman’s life, but it does not mean that accompanying symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, and depression have to be endured with resignation.

Menopause can give women a chance to reassess their lives and health – work out what changes, if any, they need to make and begin the next phase of their life on their own terms.

So it’s important for women to know that help and support is available if they need it.

Menopause and Traditional Chinese Medicine:

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, the Kidney organ system manages our Yin and Yang energies which oversee the total energy of the body; our vitality and vigor, fertility and libido, and the ability to create and sustain life. It is certainly no small job managing growth, development and aging.

Menopause is a normal transition that TCM views as the depletion of Yin fluids (this correlates with western medical thought regarding estrogen depletion), which leads to symptoms such as night sweats, insomnia and anxiety, and the decline of Yang energy which can manifest as slow metabolism, low libido, and reduced energy levels.

Yin and yang are naturally expended over a lifetime from work, stress, childbirth, illness, and just the strain of day-to-day living.

This can lead to the onset of hormonal imbalance as women in their 40s-50s begin to experience menstrual irregularities, shifts in body temperatures, mood swings, poor sleep, and lowered energy.

Treatment with acupuncture and herbs and life style adjustments can really help balance and nourish Yin and Yang in order to subdue the symptoms of menopausal discomfort.