Acupuncture for Menopause | HRT Alternatives

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Are you looking for acupuncture for menopause or HRT alternatives?
Dr. Sheena from Qi Medicine Acupuncture in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, discusses why you don't need to suffer through menopause!

The definition of menopause: What are perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopausal syndrome?

Menopause refers to when a woman has had her last menstrual period. strangely, you can still have menopause with periods, so you get to enjoy the fun of hormonal fluctuations, and the period blues!

Postmenopausal is when a woman has not had a period for at least 12 consecutive months and continues for the rest of her life in this stage. It marks the end of a woman’s reproductive life, as her ovaries no longer produce any eggs.

At which age does menopause start?

Currently, the average age of menopause in Australia is 51 but it can happen a lot earlier than that. Perimenopause- early signs of menopause- is the transitional lead-up to menopause, it is when the hormones that stimulate the ovaries to release an egg each month, begin to decline.

When this happens ovulation and periods begin to become irregular and a range of other symptoms may appear, such as hot flashes or hot flushes.

A woman can be in perimenopause for up to 10 years, before being declared in menopause. Perimenopause can begin as early as a woman’s mid 30's.

So, what causes a woman to go through menopause?

Most women will experience natural menopause in their late 40’s up to their mid 50’s. This is due to a natural aging process that has occurred due to a women’s ovaries no longer producing hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone.

Therefore, she stops ovulating and having a period, and is no longer fertile.

Premature menopause can also be brought on earlier due to surgery or a medical condition and can happen as early as her 30’s. Due to the fluctuations of a woman’s hormones during this time, it can cause havoc on the body, and may begin experiencing a range of symptoms both physical and psychological.

What are some of the menopause early symptoms?

Extreme fluctuations in hormone levels greatly impact the body, and these begin to cause a range of different symptoms during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, which can impact a woman’s daily life. When menopause starts, the symptoms may be short-lived, while others have long-lasting effects.

Here is a list of symptoms that women may experience.

Physical symptoms of early menopause
Hot flashes or hot flushes
Vaginal dryness
Increased need to urinate
Headaches
Heart palpitations
Joint pains
Insomnia
Skin dryness
Difficulty having sex
Hot flashes only at night
Bloating
Low libido
Fatigue
Low energy
Psychological symptoms of menopause
Depression
Anxiety
Memory loss
Forgetfulness
Irritability and mood swings

Even experiencing only, a handful of these symptoms can really impact a woman’s life, especially if it occurs daily. One of the biggest symptoms we see are hot flushes, this is when a woman’s body has an extreme rush of heat pulse through her body, causing her to sweat immediately and feel extremely hot.

This can happen throughout the day or night with no warning. It impacts her sleep as she is woken by this heat or can affect her while completing daily tasks at work or home and causes her some embarrassment.

What is the best menopause treatment?

This is such a tricky question, and one that we know many menopause specialists in Melbourne work hard to address.

Basically, because everyone reacts so differently to menopause treatment, it is usually a game of trial and error, to see what mixture of hormone therapy, and/ or natural treatment works best.

Many women seek acupuncture for menopause, and we know that we have several effective methods for addressing some of the early menopause symptoms. Acupuncture with menopause is great for reducing stress and anxiety with hot flashes, plus assisting you with the emotional and psychological pain that can come with this big life transition.

Ready to try acupuncture for menopause symptoms? Book in for acupuncture online here.