What Is Menopause?

Sadly, in the western world, menopause has negative connotations and this can directly impact a woman's experience. Menopause is a natural and normal transition phase of a woman’s life. In many other cultures around the world there is no stigma and as a result women in these cultures report less negative symptoms. Every woman is affected by menopause in some way – either they experience symptoms or other physical changes.

 

As our biological functions begin to decline: - ovarian function declines - hormone levels fluctuate and plummet - immune function declines (as sex hormones play a part in immune function) And this can result in: - hot flushes and night sweats (seven out of every ten women undergoing menopause have at some point experienced problems with hot flushes and sweating) (hot flushes can be the body’s response to declining oestrogen levels) - anxiety, stress or mood changes (your body produces cortisol to allow you to cope with stress - oestrogen helps maintain the level of cortisol in your body - declining oestrogen - your body's ability to cope with stress is reduced) - sleep disturbances/insomnia - fatigue - pain in joints (inflammation) - weight gain - loss of libido - changes in menstrual periods - brain fog - vaginal dryness - changes in the condition of skin and hair.

 

By medical definition menopause has three phases: peri-menopause (everything that happens leading up to and around that time), menopause and post-menopause. Most women experience symptoms for 5 to 10 years. Menopause occurs when you have not had a menstrual period for 12 months. In Australia the average age for this is 51. This transition phase of a woman's life tends to place a spotlight on underlying health issues - eg liver, thyroid and adrenal health. In order to experience a gentle transition, the earlier a woman takes a preventative approach to her health, the better. I want you to increase your health span - the period during which you are able to thrive, free from disease and in hormonal harmony. I want to support you to reach optimal health.

Katie Pinnick Founder | Sage Wellbeing Co

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