Menopause myths and facts
What is menopause?
Menopause technically refers to a woman’s last ever period but more commonly this word is now used to mean the months and years leading up to this event. Perimenopause is a better term as this describes the time frame leading up to menopause when women may be suffering from menopausal symptoms. Medically menopause is defined in retrospect, as you need to be 12months clear of any bleeding to be defined as post-menopausal.
Perimenopausal symptoms can start up to 10years before the actual menopause. The common age range for menopause is between 45-55yrs. Average age for going through the menopause is 51yrs. This means that at age 35yrs you could, in theory, be experiencing perimenopausal symptoms.
Menopause can also trigger an identity crisis. ‘Who am I now?’ You may have an empty nest or feeling that you are becoming older.
What symptoms are common during perimenopause?
Over 30 common symptoms of menopause:
Hot flushes/ fatigue/ dizziness/ weight gain/ muscle tension
Increased body odour/ gastrointestinal disturbances/ nausea/ heartburn
Bloating/ poor mineral absorption/ dry vagina/ incontinence/ UTIs
Libido changes/ irregular bleeding patterns/ irregular heartbeat/
Blood sugar imbalance/ cholesterol imbalance/ asthma/ tinnitus
Joint pain/ osteoporosis/ allergies/ headaches/ burning tongue
Hair loss/ Hair thinning/ excess facial hair/ panic disorder/ mood swings
Memory loss/ poor concentration/anxiety / depression/ night sweats
Sleep disturbances/ insomnia/ brittle nails/ itchy skin/
Electric shock sensation/ tingling extremities/ tiredness/ breast pain
Brain fog/ constipation/ itchy ears/ itchy vulva/ palpitations/ migraines
50% of menopausal women said it affected her sex life
36% said it affected her socially
22% said it affected her sleep
What is happening in the body during menopause?
What is happening in the body during menopause?
Women spend a third of their lives post-menopause. Oestrogen and progesterone are declining in the body. The hormonal feedback loop is controlled by the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain. At menopause they want to pass the ‘baton’ of control on to the adrenal glands. The HPA axis is involved (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal).
However most women’s adrenal glands are at the bottom of well, waving a white flag and whimpering ‘Help me!’. When we’re stressed, the body uses up more of the master hormone, pregnenolone. So, less progesterone is produced which means more irritability. Less oestrogen is also produced which means more hot flushes. Progesterone acts to calm and stabilize your stress response.
The thyroid gland tried to help but this just leads to exhaustion. As your metabolism slows down, the insulin system goes wonky too.
Menopause facts
- As oestrogen declines, we age quicker, muscles and bones atrophy, skin wrinkles more easily and hair becomes dry.
- The brain is more vulnerable to cognitive disease. There is a 30% decrease in brain activity during and post menopause
- Most women have had long term exposure to endocrine (hormone) disruptors.
- Depression can present for the first time during menopause and old mental health issues can also reoccur.
- HRT used to be extracted from the urine of pregnant horses. Hence the brand name ‘Premarin®’. Pre = pregnant Mare = female horse
- HRT increases risk of breast cancer 88%, heart attacks 29%, Alzheimer’s 50%, and blood clot risk doubles.
- Brain changes at menopause mean that your risk of Alzheimer’s increases by 20% (without taking any HRT).
- Your brain and body are physically changing much like a toddler or teenager. You are NOT going mad!
- Hot flushes can last from 30secs up to 10mins. These can continue to happen post menopause if you are a smoker, obese or stressed.
Menopause myths
Menopause is a natural process that doesn’t need to be medicated. Women spend about one third of their lives post-menopause. Our mothers and grandmothers may not have suffered as badly as our generation, as the contraceptive pill only became widely available in the late 60s in the UK. These women were also a post-war, ‘stiff upper lip’ type generation, so may not have talked as freely about suffering. They may have felt they had to just ‘get on with it’.
The contraceptive pill was only part of the problem of endocrine disruption. As the world began to use more and more plastic, chemicals and moved away from nature, this problem only got worse.
Baby girls being born today have been exposed to endocrine disruption in the womb, and preconception. When a woman is pregnant with a baby girl, 3 generations are present. The woman herself, the female foetus and the eggs that the foetus has. A baby girl is born with all the eggs she will use in her lifetime. This is called epigenetics. Synthetic hormones leave an imprint both physically and energetically.
10 Ways to ease menopausal symptoms right now:
- Take a daily essential fatty acid such as Omega 3 and 6 fish oils or flaxseeds
- Absorb some magnesium through the skin, either with an Epsom salt bath or Betteryou cream (see my blog)
- Eat some fermented foods like kefir, kombucha tea or sauerkraut.
- Eat organic meat and dairy to reduce exposure to synthetic hormones.
- Practice meditation, exercise and mindfulness to decrease the load on your adrenal glands.
- Seed cycling – Seed cycling. This helps with water retention, decreases hot flushes and regulates your cycle. 1 tsp-1tbsp daily from relevant box:
New Moon/ Day 1 of bleeding – Day 14: Flaxseeds + Pumpkin seeds
Full Moon/Day 15 -28 – Sesame + Sunflower seeds
Flaxseeds: Omega 3 rich, high in fibre and protein. Pumpkin seeds: Magnesium, melatonin and zinc. Sesame seeds: Magnesium, Co Enzyme Q10, iron and zinc. Sunflower seeds: Magnesium, Vit E, selenium, rich in antioxidants and protein.
- Swop cardio for strength training like lifting weights
- Decrease exposure to endocrine disruptors as much as possible e.g. use glass water bottle, use organic skincare products such as Tropic skincare, and do outdoor swimming rather than in a pool.
- Take care of your liver. In Chinese medicine the liver controls our menopause and our menstruation. Eat these liver friendly foods: Coffee, oats, green tea, garlic, berries, grapes, grapefruit, oily fish, nuts, avocados, bananas, barley, olive oil, beetroot, broccoli, brown rice, carrots, figs, kale, lemons, papaya, and watermelon.
- Avoid alcohol as this puts an extra strain on your liver.
If you are suffering with horrendeous menopausal symptoms and would like my help, please do book in a discovery call!
