Peri-menopause is the time in our lives when our menstrual cycle is starting to change: our hormone levels fluctuate, and our body starts to taper off the production of hormones that support pregnancy. In contrast, during our peak reproductive years, there is a delicate balance of hormones being released throughout our cycle to create the right environment for a pregnancy to occur.
Menopause proper, is a retrospective term as it is given once a woman has not had a period for at least 12 months. At puberty and during our teen years it can take a while for our endocrine system (the system that manages hormone levels) to work out the right levels of reproductive hormones to release at the right times to keep everything running smoothly. That is why, as teenagers, our cycles are not regular and can be light one month and suddenly become very heavy the next.
The label “2nd puberty” is given to peri-menopause because our endocrine system again starts to fluctuate the balance of hormones released as it begins to ramp down our reproductive capacity. Just like at puberty, it can take our body systems a while to work out the right balance of hormones required for this stage of our lives. Often, there are compounding factors such as stress, diet, etc. that influence our endocrine system (hormones) during our peri-menopausal years. It is these factors, as well as the drop in reproductive hormones, that can aggravate many of our peri-menopausal symptoms. Supplements and herbal medicine can be a gentle way to relieve the symptoms as you start the transition to menopause.
Lisa* came to see me last year feeling “like sh#t” – with low energy, digestive issues and memory problems. She felt like everything was “out of whack” and was desperate to do something to get to the cause of her problems as well as treat her symptoms. After a short course of individualized herbal medicine and supplements (to help balance hormone levels), and some dietary and life-style changes, she started to notice improvements. Three months later she was feeling herself again and was in a much better position mentally and physically to manage challenges in her life. Herbs and supplements are not the panacea, but if you start preparing for this next stage of your life, it can really pay off. You can recognize the symptoms and actually do something to help your body cope with the stress that occurs within and without.
If you are looking for support, I’m here to help. Next month I will be running a series of workshops to help women with their transition to menopause: if you are interested in becoming informed, prepared & ready to embrace your future, why don’t you come along. Here’s the link: The Pause Effect – navigating perimenopause transition to menopause (thenaturalhealer.com.au)