Menopause, Perimenopause

Perimenopause is a menopausal transition - it's the time immediately prior to your body's shift into menopause. On average, menopause starts between the ages of 45-55, and the perimenopause period may precede menopause by up to 10 years. During this time, many women develop irritability, anxiety, depression, weight gain, hot flushes, notice worsening memory and concentration, and experience insomnia and low-energy levels. Perimenopause is a natural stage of life; it's a signal from the body that women are entering a new life stage, and they need their ovaries, thyroid, and adrenal glands to work at their best in order to maintain proper hormonal balance. Unfortunately, there are many factors conspiring against this ideal scenario - they include stress, hormonal imbalances, nutritional and gut microbiome abnormalities, and toxins, to name a few.

Menopause is a natural transition signaling the end of the childbearing phase of life. Unfortunately, it comes with a variety of uncomfortable symptoms and complications. The average age for menopause today is 51 years, and women who are living now to the average age of 81 years spend roughly one-third of their lives in a post-menopausal state.

This life stage should bring tremendous opportunities for wellness and enjoyment. However, the conventional view is to treat menopause as a disease since the early 1970s women have been prescribed synthetic estrogen and progesterone as an all-purpose treatment. The practice only ceased in 2001 when the risks associated with the use of synthetic hormone replacement, which includes breast cancer, heart attacks, stroke, and blood clots, became widely known. The use of synthetics, however, is starting to creep back onto the market, and is viewed by many with skepticism as to their safety and long-term effects, causing many women to seek a more holistic approach to their health.

For decades, pharmaceutical companies and traditional medical practitioners have pointed to estrogen deficiency as the main culprit responsible for the common symptoms of menopause. For those who practice Functional Medicine, these symptoms signal an imbalance in ovarian hormones, stress hormones, chronic digestive system disorders, detoxification system abnormalities, and nutritional deficits. There are ways to correct these imbalances with individually tailored protocols, using dietary and lifestyle changes, nutraceuticals, and homeopathy to support and enjoy this stage of life.

Every woman has a tremendous power to restore her health, correct hormonal imbalances, and increase vitality. The first step is to conduct a root cause analysis, which may differ significantly between individuals. There are proven methods of correcting hormonal imbalances, starting with lifestyle and nutrition changes, and moving progressively through various supplements, botanicals, and bioidentical hormones if absolutely necessary. It's empowering to realize that there's a defined path which leads to improved health and reaching your fullest potential, it's simply a matter of identifying the issues, creating a plan to remediate the underlying conditions, and working through it. You'll be glad you did.

If you want to get rid of menopause and perimenopause - related problems and look and feel younger and healthier, please contact us.