Menopause is a life transition that all women eventually go through. For many women, it isn’t easy – between hot flashes and mood swings, it’s hard to imagine life will ever be balanced again! Finding some cultural context for understanding this shift can help make menopause less of a medical problem and more of a regular part of life. Naturopathic doctors can help your physical symptoms by looking at the root cause of any imbalances.
What is Menopause?
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life where she permanently stops having menstrual periods. It usually happens for women between 45 and 55 years old, and is considered official after one year without bleeding. In the transition time leading up to menopause, women experience many symptoms that help signal the change:
- Longer menstrual cycle
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness
- Painful intercourse
- Muscle, joint, and back pain
- Weight gain
- Urinary incontinence or urgency
- Night sweats
- Anxiety or depression
- Trouble concentrating
What Causes Menopause?
It isn’t something you contracted or ate. Menopause is the result of a natural decline in hormone levels over time. Between puberty and menopause in the fertile years of a woman’s life, estrogen and progesterone are produced in cycles, by the ovaries. As menopause approaches, the ovaries start making less of both of these hormones. Most of the symptoms of menopause are a result of relative imbalances or low levels of these hormones.
How is Menopause Treated?
Menopause itself is not a medical condition, and many women benefit from education that empowers them to understand their cycles and their bodies. Some cultures focus on menopause as a stage of freedom for women, and women in these cultures tend to have fewer undesirable symptoms. No matter the culture, some symptoms of menopause can be very uncomfortable, and management can make a big difference to quality of life!
Conventional treatments for menopausal symptoms include synthetic hormones and medications that modify how hormones are used by the body. Other treatments may include antidepressant drugs like SSRIs and pain medications.
How Can Naturopathic Medicine Help?
Naturopathic Doctors have many tools that can help ease the transition into menopause. There are several herbs that are well-known for their ability to help menopausal symptoms, including blue and black cohosh, chaste tree, and wild yam. Each of these herbs helps your body respond to its changing levels of hormones. These herbs can help reduce symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness with Acupuncture being another great way to help balance body temperature!
Diet assessment and nutritional supplementation can help with muscle pain, headaches, and fatigue. Your naturopathic doctor may do specialized hormone testing or food sensitivity testing to help come up with a treatment plan that is perfect for you. IV therapy is an excellent way to help reduce menopause symptoms and increase energy as well because it bypasses the digestive system giving you the nutrients — and symptom relief — fast.
Menopause, like any life transition, can also be a time for introspection and contemplation. Naturopathic doctors are trained in counseling and can help you make sense of this new stage of life, in addition to all the tools we have to help you manage symptoms.
It’s a natural part of life and if you want to manage it naturally, call and book an appointment today!