Menopause Symptoms
Conditions
Perimenopause is the first phase in a natural life process where a woman’s ovaries gradually make less oestrogen and she becomes less fertile. Her body then makes its transition over a few months or years to the menopause, when her menstrual cycle and natural reproductive ability end. This generally happens between her mid-forties to mid-fifties, although about 1% of women experience premature menopause before the age of forty. After a year without periods a woman is regarded as postmenopausal.
The menopause can also be brought on suddenly by an underlying medical condition like Addison’s disease, or by certain medical treatments. These include surgery to remove the ovaries, some breast cancer treatments, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Given the hormonal changes that take place, most women experience some symptoms - very common examples being hot flushes, day/night sweats, sleep problems and mood changes. See NHS website for more details. For some women these are mild and manageable, whilst others may experience physical and emotional symptoms severe enough to reduce their quality of life. Women who have gone into sudden menopause may well be more severely affected.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years as an effective natural means of dealing with gynaecological issues, including those arising from the menopause process. It views problematic physical and emotional symptoms as signs that a woman’s body is out of balance. Through its holistic treatment approach, acupuncture aims to correct this, helping to relieve symptoms and promoting improvements to health and wellbeing. It may also include discussion about nutrition and lifestyle, where making some changes may be helpful in keeping symptoms at bay.