Menopause can be a difficult time in a women’s life- according to Yale, a third of women go through severe symptoms related to menopause. It can be hard to know what to do when your life feels out of control.
Many women feel disconnected from their partner because they don’t understand what it’s like, then mood swings cause them to lash out.
Other women are worried they could lose their jobs because they feel like they suddenly have unmanageable ADHD symptoms that make it difficult to focus and perform.
Another major obstacle to menopause is hot flashes and insomnia, it’s hard to rest and show up as your best self when you can’t sleep or get comfortable.
Why do you experience such uncomfortable symptoms as you transition into the next phase of your fertility cycle? How long can you expect to feel like this, and what can you do to feel better?
What is menopause?
Most people call the entire phase where your hormones change as you age menopause, but it’s made up of multiple phases. This typically begins in your 40s or 50s, but some women experience the first stage of menopause in their 30s.
Perimenopause is the first part of your hormonal shift. You start to experience uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, heavy periods, insomnia, mood swings, and more.
Your hormones are created when your ovaries produce healthy eggs. Once you run out of eggs, your body will have a difficult time producing estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen affects a lot more than your reproductive systems- you also have estrogen receptors in your brain that control important functions like sleep, mood, and temperature regulation.
Now that your hormone levels are fluctuating, your body won’t have the estrogen it needs to regulate these functions. That’s where your symptoms are coming from.
Perimenopause can last anywhere between a few months to a decade, but most women will experience this phase for four years.
Once you reach one year without any periods, you will enter menopause. Your symptoms will likely diminish or go away altogether, but some women continue to experience symptoms.
What can you do to feel better?
In Chinese medicine, yin and yang are two opposing energies that provide nourishment and energy. Yin is closely related to blood and becomes depleted as you go through the menopause cycle. Essence is another energy in Chinese medicine that becomes affected by menopause, it is responsible for development and fertility and is responsible for signs of aging.
Using Chinese herbs and acupuncture are an effective way to balance your yin and essence, helping your hormones to regulate. This can relieve you of your symptoms and provide a more pleasant menopause transition.
For example, yin is responsible for cooling. Because your yin is depleted during menopause, you experience hot flashes. Certain herbs or acupuncture patterns can be used to restore yin, helping your body cool itself naturally.
Balancing your hormones is crucial to finding relief from menopause symptoms. Acupuncture can stimulate your energy pathways to encourage the balance of hormones and the organs that produce them. This also stimulates endorphin release, which are your body’s natural pain and anxiety killers.
Acupuncture and herbs also increase blood flow, which allows your reproductive organs to get the nutrients they need. This can regulate a heavy period and encourage ovulation for hormone production.
OHM Acupuncture is experienced in helping women find relief from menopause pain. If you’re struggling with perimenopause, give us a call. During your appointment, we will come up with a plan to rebalance your hormones and get you to feel better as quickly as possible.
You are not alone. Dr. Eve Kocurek is here to help you get through this difficult phase of your life so you can feel good again.
Comments