Perimenopause and Menopause- How your naturopath can help?
Are you peri-menopausal? This transition is often referred to as the second puberty and for many women it can be a very challenging time for both their general physical health as well as how they feel mentally and emotionally.
The research published over recent years has established the importance of this time in a woman’s life, it has been referred to as a ‘tipping point’ where the choices you make have the potential to impact your health for the foreseeable future, including impacting your risk of developing chronic health conditions like diabetes and dementia.
As a preventative medicine practitioner I spend good amount of time educating my clients around making a healthy transition through this time and the things they can do to better manage their symptoms and avoid long term pharmaceutical interventions. (If that’s the plan) Some of my patients due to their family medical history or personal history with cancer are unable to go on HRT or wish to avoid it if possible.
How do you know if you’ve entered peri-menopause?
Not every woman experiences menopause the same way, you may experience one or several of the following symptoms:
Hot flushes
Sweats
Insomnia
Headaches/ migraines
Anxiety and depression
Poor gut function/ erratic gut symptoms
Low libido
Sugar cravings
Weight gain (increases in abdominal weight)
Cognitive changes- brain fog
Thinning skin and hair, hair loss,
Joint pain/ sarcopenia
Vaginal dryness
Vulvar itching and burning
Recurrent UTI’s
Heavy periods/ Flooding
Irregular cycles
Brain fog
How do long will peri-menopause last?
Again it’s different for every woman, however you’re considered menopausal if you haven’t had a period for 12 consecutive months. The transition from when you first start peri-menopause until you’re considered post menopausal can take several years for some.
During this time hormones especially oestrogen can fluctuate wildly and this along with the decline in progesterone can have you experiencing many of the symptoms listed above.
Key road blocks to consider if you’re peri-menopausal
Osteoporosis- oestrogen regulates processes of bone resorption and formation, the decline of oestrogen at menopause leads to an increase in osteoclasts (cells that breakdown bones for reformation) if there is a decrease in the absorption of calcium in the gut, a deficiency in vitamin D- K or other key minerals as well as a high amount of stress. Then osteoporosis can start to develop.
Cardiovascular Disease- Research has found women who experience hot flushes, sweats and migraines/headaches are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease or strokes. This is because oestrogen helps maintain flexibility of the blood vessels. Also common to see LDL cholesterol increase during this time- this is the ‘bad’ cholesterol. So monitoring cholesterol, and weight gain become key around this time.
Autoimmune conditions are known to go up around this time also. It’s not uncommon for me to refer my perimenopausal patients for a full thyroid panel after an in-depth case history. Just to make sure we’re not overlooking a potential thyropause situation. But more on that in a different post.
What testing can I do to see if I’m perimenopausal?
A good starting point and an inexpensive one is to check your FSH- Follicle stimulating hormone. If this number is elevated over 40 mIU/ml and you’re between the ages of 40-45 it’s a pretty good indicator.
Low levels of E2 and progesterone can also be telling. Please note if you’re on any synthetic hormones including the pill then this can impact your pathology results.
How can a naturopath help?
Many of my patients come into see me because they’re a little confused on where they are on the journey to menopause and they’re experiencing a myriad of symptoms and just aren’t feeling themselves.
If need be I refer back to GP’s and other health providers for more investigations or testing as well as write up referrals myself.
Getting a clear idea of where you are right now with your key health markers and hormones is very helpful in supporting you to find more balance. Correcting deficiencies at this stage of life if vital to help avoid chronic health issues mentioned above. So while it’s an investment of time and money it can save you a lot of money and health strife later on.
The testing requested varies depending on your individual health history and symptom picture as well as your family medical history. Working with an experienced naturopath means a customised approach from testing right through to medicinal applications.
So what are some of the naturopathic medicines and therapeutics for peri-menopause and menopause?
Initially it’s very common that I try and get you some symptomatic relief with customised herbal medicines, things like…
Black co-hosh, chaste tree, sage, zizipyus, for hot flushes
Chamomile, Lemon balm, valerian, passionflower, oats green, rehmania, rhodiola, vervain, and withania, for helping to support your nervous system fuction and adrenal glands.
Side note: It’s worth a mention here that for many of my patients they are under a lot of stress and day to day demands as they are playing a dual carer role. Still looking after their own children as well as caring for their elderly parents. (I’ve written many articles of the impact on stress and health so I won’t go into that here) Just note high cortisol and adrenalin will complicate your symptoms and put you at greater risk of chronic health issues. So I do a lot of work helping with this if it’s a factor for you.
Kava, Lavender, Magnolia, Schisandra, Valarian, to help relieve insomnia.
St. Johns Wort, Saffron and others to help with depression.
Bacopa, Gingko, Korean Ginseng, Rhodiola- to help with cognitive functioning and brain fog.
Once we have put some key tools in place to help bring you some relief from the symptoms then we can shift our focus to ensuring that your long term health outcomes are also in check.
Using liver herbs and nutrients to help keep LDL levels down, making sure you have nutrients like inositol and chromium to keep your blood sugar levels balanced and so on if indicated. There really is no such thing as a one size fits all.
As an integrative health practitioner my role is to understand your own unique health status and goals and make sure I’m doing what I can to support you through the transition as smoothly as possible.
Ageing and combating the menopausal changes!
One of the most common requests I hear from my perimenopausal women is the speed at which they see themselves ageing, with skin and hair changing dramatically for some.
There is a lot we can do to support healthy ageing!
Including ensuring optimum and high grade anti-oxidants are being used as well as N-acetyl cysteine and other nutrients that are key for protecting cells from damage and supporting mitochondrial health.
Peri-menopause diet
This post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of diet and its importance.
Generally at some point I spend an entire session covering the key areas of diet and exercise for health and longevity. Understanding again that each person has different needs on this front is key.
We talk about eating for bone health, anti-aging diets and all major macros and micros to ensure you’re moving forward with confidence. As a practitioner I’m not a huge fan of prescriptive and strict diet regimes as these can cause issues with stress and overwhlem.
It will surprise you how easy it is to make small changes once you’re feeling a little more in control of your symptoms. I will generally tackle diet in our 3rd or 4th session together - or once the fog has cleared a little 😊
It’s going to be great on the other side
O kay so maybe you don’t want to go back to the lycra wearing, free and footloose days of your youth, but it’s worth knowing that …
once you make this transition into menopause the other side is generally described as a very creative and wonderful time, where you can focus on yourself a little more and take the time to re-engage with your passions and enjoy the stability and freedom that comes from not having the hormonal fluctuations of a cycle, and all of the responsibility of managing your reproductive cycle.
If you have any questions or need some support with your health please book a complimentary phone call down below.