Menopause

  • Gaining excess weight around your stomach?
  • Putting on weight despite no change in your food or exercise levels?
  • Feeling more anxiety, stress, depression or all three?
  • Having panic attacks?
  • Sleep becoming more of an issue?
  • Waking up with a hot flush and cant get back to sleep?

These symptoms are all very common in peri-menopause and menopause. The average age of menopause in Australia is 51 with peri-menopause on average starting 4 years prior however for some women peri-menopause can start 10 years before menopause!

There are several factors involved including:

  • Progesterone dropping before oestrogen in peri-menopause contributing towards anxiety and poor sleep during peri-menopause. Progesterone helps support your body’s natural “valium” called GABA.
  • More fat around your tummy as a new source of oestrogen especially if you are adrenally fatigued
  • Becoming more insulin resistant due to the drop in hormones which also contributes towards tummy weight

Typically the busy working mum juggling children / teens, work, housework, elderly parents and many other life’s stressors can have a particular hard time during this period. This where your cortisol and adrenal function may benefit from functional pathology testing, very different to standard blood tests, which we can organise.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Three of the most important areas of focus for women from menopause onwards is cardiovascular health, bone health and brain health.
  • One of the main causes of disability for women after menopause is a hip fracture due to weak bones after a fall.
  • The Japanese word for menopause is konenki, meaning “energy”, or a season of renewal and regeneration.

EVOLUTION


Menopause also served a purpose in terms of evolutionary adaption. Historically, women who lived long enough to reach the post childbearing phase of their life were more productive in the tribe. They had the ability to forage the highest quantities of food for their families, alongside providing childcare and wisdom. They were able to direct their resources not only towards their own children
and grandchildren, but also into supporting other young mothers, allowing them to have their children closer together. All these attributes strengthened the success of the tribe.

NEED HELP NAVGATING THIS PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE?

Naturopath Lisa has 25 years as a naturopath, and can help with all of these symptoms. She can explain why these changes are occurring in simple easy to understand terms. She is 56 herself and understands personally this transitional time.

She can advise:

  • What foods to focus on and what to avoid for weight loss
  • What exercise is best for weight loss and bone health once in menopause
  • How a drop in oestrogen and progesterone are affecting how much inflammation you are feeling and changes in mood and sleep
  • How and why you have gained weight, addressing potential insulin resistance, adrenal fatigue and high cortisol. Testing can also be done above and beyond what your medical practitioner can offer.
  • Amazing natural supplements to address weight gain, tummy weight, anxiety, depression and sleep.
  • She will provide recipes and meal plans that include all the essential factors during this transitional time such as important minerals and vitamins and weight loss goals.

Understanding more about this time in your life:

How do you know if you are in menopause?

If you have not had a menstrual bleed for 12 consecutive months you are considered in menopause. The age this occurs can vary from 45 to 55 however the average age is around 51 to 52. Leading up to this point is a transitionary time where your hormones may be on a bit of a roller coaster. This is called Peri-Menopause.

Peri-Menopause

This time prior to menopause can be as short as a few months or as long as 10 years! During this time oestrogen is high in relation to progesterone but both will eventually decline. Your hormones will eventually fall to a point where the ovaries no longer produce eggs, your period stops and menopause is reached.

During peri-menopause your cycles can change such as irregularity in length you might have a 28 day cycle and then a 14 day cycle for example, the flow might be heavier or lighter and you may have late periods, skipping one or more periods.

The 4 phases of peri-menopause leading to menopause include:

  1. Very early peri-menopause – cycles are still regular but show signs of change
  2. Early menopause transition – from the onset of irregular periods with cycles varying in length
  3. Late menopause transition – from the onset of skipped periods starting with the first cycle of more than 60 days
  4. Late peri-menopause – the 12 months from that final period
  5. Menopause!

An Experienced Naturopath Can Help

Naturopath Lisa can help you with all your peri-menopause and menopause concerns ranging from:

  • Hot flushes
  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain
  • Pain and inflammation
  • Sleep issues
  • Bone health

Online telehealth appointments are available Australia wide.