Menopause Symptoms: A Naturopathic Approach
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What is Menopause?
The concept of menopause itself is quite simple. When a woman reaches a certain age (generally between mid 40s and early 50s), she stops menstruating. This is because she has stopped ovulating due to diminished ovarian reserves, which is the amount of viable eggs a woman has that can be fertilized for pregnancy. Once ovulation stops, a woman can no longer become pregnant without fertility treatments. And when she can confidently say that she has not menstruated for over a year, she can then say she is finally in menopause.
Why Does Menopause Happen?
In order to truly understand menopause and why it occurs, it’s important to be clear about how the menstrual cycle works. During a typical 28-day menstrual cycle, a woman’s hormones will fluctuate. During the follicular phase (the first part of the cycle), estrogen in the form of estradiol dramatically increases to help build up the uterine lining to help support a potential pregnancy. Once estrogen reaches a certain threshold, the luteinizing hormone is triggered to surge, leading to ovulation.
Following ovulation is the luteal phase. During this phase, progesterone levels increase, becoming the dominant hormone in order to support pregnancy. However, if the egg that was released during ovulation was not successfully fertilized by any sperm, estrogen and progesterone levels begin to decline which causes the uterine lining to break down and eventually shed in the form of a monthly period. And then the cycle begins again.
During menopause, estrogen and progesterone are still present, but they are both very low and in somewhat of a resting phase. In response to the low levels of estrogen and progesterone, two other hormones (follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)) greatly increase by way of a negative feed-back loop. Additionally, the adrenals rather than the ovaries become the primary producers of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, which is a key distinction between premenopause and menopause.
Menopause Symptoms
Prior to full menopause (or a full year without a period), women will experience what is called the perimenopausal phase. This occurs before a complete cessation of menstruation and it is often where many of the telltale menopause symptoms occur.
Some common menopause symptoms include:
Night sweats
Hot flashes
Changes in the menstrual cycle (i.e. longer stretches between periods, more frequent periods, prolonged bleeding, or heavier periods have all occurred due to hormone changes)
Vaginal pain
Vaginal dryness
Vaginal tenderness
Dip in libido
Pain with intercourse
Sleep disturbances
Depression
Anxiety
Mood swings
Weight changes
Difficulty with memory
Trouble concentrating
Skin dryness
Increase in wrinkles
Increase in acne
Facial hair
Hair changes (i.e. hair loss)
How to Reduce Symptoms of Menopause
Luckily, there are things you can do to naturally reduce or eliminate many of the not-so-pleasant symptoms of menopause.
Exercise
Exercise is of course great for the body, but it can also work wonders for the mood, especially during menopause. It can also of course help with weight as well as sexual function, because of its impact on testosterone and oxytocin. Exercise can also strengthen the pelvic floor and help with circulation.
It’s important to note that as we age, weight bearing and resistance training are all really important for building up muscle mass because we tend to lose lean muscle mass with age. This specific type of exercise combined with cardiovascular exercise helps maintain a healthy weight. But remember to not do too much too fast. This can lead to excessive cortisol release, causing more negative side effects especially weight accumulation around the abdomen. Nobody wants a spare tire hiding their 6-pack.
Mindfulness
Studies have shown that women who have a better outlook, specifically when it comes to menopause, tend to have fewer menopause symptoms. By engaging in practices like meditation, guided visualizations, mantra or positive affirmation recitation and yoga can help generate more positive states of being and acceptance towards the process of aging.
Supplementation
It’s important to have a good, high-quality multivitamin that has methylated B vitamins, specifically B12, as studies have shown deficiencies in B12 can increase hot flashes. Other key nutrients to look for specifically when you’re looking at a multivitamin would be vitamins E, C, and D—all very important for helping with menopausal symptoms. Additionally magnesium and a high quality fish oil can help with inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk, and mood swings.
It is also valuable to take a probiotic, specifically one that has lactobacillus rhamnosus and lactobacillus rhudari. As we age and estrogen declines, this decline actually has a negative impact on the vaginal flora, or the healthy bacteria within the vagina. The vaginal flora is the best defense against UTIs and bacterial vaginosis, both of which tend to occur more during and after menopause. A probiotic can go a long way at replenishing and balancing the all-important vaginal flora.
Any herb that I recommend that can specifically address hot flashes is the adaptogen maca. Maca, specifically in gelatinized form, is quite effective against hot flashes. It can also address the dip in libido that many women experience when going through menopause. Rheum—also known as turkey rhubarb—is also very powerful for preventing and alleviating hot flashes.
Other recommended supplements I like to prescribe to my menopausal patients include:
Ashwagandha (probably one of my favorite herbs to prescribe for menopausal symptoms)
Click here to access my complete menopause support protocol and save 10% on all these products through my Fullscript online dispensary.
To purchase physician-grade supplements, click here to create an account or login to access my online supplements shop and purchase them directly.
Read more about treatments for menopause here: Naturopathic Treatment for Menopause
How a Naturopathic Doctor Can Help
As a naturopath, it is my goal to help my patients take a natural approach to their health. Every woman’s experience going through menopause is going to be a little bit different, due to a variation in the hormone ratios within her body. First and foremost, I love to help guide women through healthy diet and lifestyle choices. In addition to that, I recommend that my menopausal patients get a DUTCH test, which is an advanced hormone test, to get a complete look at the hormone panel and bring everything into balance. Ultimately, I want women to be able to go through menopause with more ease and grace.
If you have questions about menopause or would like help choosing which supplements are best for you, we would love to help you. At Simplicity Health Associates in New York City, we help many patients understand the body’s changes that come with menopause and how natural alternatives can help.
Click here to book an appointment online or call (646) 470-8458. You can also email us here.
FAQ
How long does menopause last?
In short, menopause lasts indefinitely. Once you're in menopause, you're in menopause for the rest of your life.
But when we think about menopause, what we're really thinking about is the symptoms. So how long do the symptoms last? It depends. On average, a woman will experience symptoms of menopause for at least 4 to 5 years.
Note that common symptoms like hot flashes and mood changes are generally more short lived, while some other symptoms (i.e. vaginal dryness and thinning or hair changes) may persist much longer.
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