What Is Menopause?
Menopause is a natural transition and happens to every woman. The term is generally used to encompass the entire long-lasting process that relates to the end of a woman’s fertility. There are many menopause signs and despite what many women believe it can be easily managed.
This change is perfectly normal and a healthy body will constantly adjust to change. However, in today’s environment, a number of factors can change the body’s ability to adapt to change, including environmental toxins, poor nutrition, a lack of essential minerals and the stress of juggling work and domestic life.
When a woman enters menopause she steps biologically out of the primary child-bearing role and the hormones related to this function begin to diminish. However, there is still a vital, health-enhancing role for her reproductive hormones that now has nothing to do with reproduction and everything to do with maintaining good health. Hormone receptors are found on almost every organ in the body and are essential for our health and wellbeing.
Menopause is preceded by perimenopause, which is where the hormones begin to fluctuate whilst ‘menopause’ describes women who have not experienced any menstrual flow for a minimum of a year, and whose ovaries have become inactive.
Menopause Signs & What To Expect
There are a number of menopause signs and symptoms that a woman can look out for. However, everyone experiences menopause differently and therefore one woman may not experience the same symptoms as another. A woman’s reproductive hormone levels continue to drop and fluctuate for some time into postmenopause, accompanied by menopause signs and symptoms that may take several years to disappear. Symptoms are similar to those leading up to menopause, but with more consistency in:
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Changes in mood, such as feeling tired, irritable, depressed or anxious
- Difficulty concentrating or poor memory
- Changes to the vagina, such as dryness, discomfort, itching and pain during sex
- Loss of interest in sex (loss of libido)
- Urinary problems – such as recurrent urinary tract infections, loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)
- Joint aches and pains.
How Are Menopausal Stages Treated?
As a woman moves through each phase of menopause, hormone levels can fluctuate significantly, however these vital hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone remain important for bones, vaginal and urethral health, skin, brain function and cardiovascular health. It is therefore important to effectively balance and replenish these hormones in order to maintain a woman’s health, energy, mood and brain function.
However, one size does not fit all and a thorough consultation, together with appropriate tests, should be carried out when symptoms begin displaying as this will enable a bespoke treatment path to be developed for the individual’s needs.
As every woman is unique, so are her hormones. Every woman has her own menopause and thus every hormone solution is specifically designed for her.
