MENOPAUSE

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the last chapter in a female’s reproductive lifetime. It is the transition that takes place 12 months after a woman’s last period. The years leading up to this point are known as perimenopause and can last up to 14 years, but on average is around 7 years in length. Some women can even start to experience perimenopause symptoms in their late 30’s, but for the majority of women, they will start to experience these changes between the ages off 45-55 (1).

What Causes Menopause?

Menopause occurs as your ovarian function declines. Menopause can happen naturally as a woman gets older or can occur because of other reasons such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation (2). As your ovarian function begins to decline (perimenopause phase) you will start to produce lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. Symptoms can be non-existent for some women, but for a large percentage of women, their symptoms leave them feeling miserable (3).

What Are The Symptoms:

• Hot flashes/ Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Irregular periods or bleeding
• Insomnia
• Urinary problems
• Mood swings
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Weight gain
• Changes to libido

Treatment for Menopause

For those who are dealing with, any combination of these symptoms our goal is to work with you to provide relief. We use a variety of modalities such as herbal medicine, diet, and lifestyle changes to help bring you relief and comfort as you transition.

Given that we focus a lot on preventative medicine, we also look for ways to continue to provide hormone-balancing effects to your body. Both estrogen and progesterone provide a lot of positive health benefits and even though the ovarian function is declining, we can also support your adrenals as well. Your adrenal glands may not produce a large amount of estrogen and progesterone as your ovaries, but it still makes some.

We are here to make this time period in your life as comfortable as possible.