Perimenopause Blog
Perimenopause
It is a word that I feel is being thrown around everywhere at the moment!
And for good reasons - I think it is important to have awareness of something that can affect so many women and people who bleed.
However, with so much awareness also comes so much self-diagnosing and over-diagnosing, which isn’t always correct, and it can lead people into a little bit of a spiral if they believe they are going into early menopause.
So let me tell you what I have been seeing in clinic and what I do to help those who are in or believe they are in peri-menopause and are not loving it.
Firstly - Let’s Take a Step Back and Chat Menopause and Chinese Med
Menopause isn’t a disease.
It is the literal stopping of your menstruation. That is all.
What women and people who bleed experience around the time their menstrual cycle ends are menopausal symptoms. Just a note - I will never down play these symptoms, because for some, they are debilitating.
According to Chinese Medicine those of us who has periods go through 7 year cycles and during these 7 year cycles we experience differences in our menstrual cycles. From the ages 7-13 our cycle may start but isn’t fully there yet. From 14-20 we are developing a regular menstrual cycle, from 21-27 we are our most vital, from 28-35 we are at our height of our maturity, from 36-42 we start to see changes in our menstrual cycle, and by the time we are 43-49 our menstrual cycle will have changed a lot (bring in perimenopause), and from 50 onwards we are no longer fertile (usually) and are ready to step into our next phase of life.
Menopause.
Menopause is knows as the ‘Second Spring’.
It is a transition into becoming a wiser self.
From when start our menstrual cycle, Blood energy goes down into our Uterus to help create periods and life.
Now that we don’t have our periods any longer, nor are we fertile, all that Blood energy can move into the Heart instead.
The Heart in Chinese Medicine houses our Shen, our spirit, and with our Heart full we can now step into the Wisdom of ourselves at this older age.
Life is not done - it isn’t over. In fact, it is more beautiful for we can start looking after ourselves now after years of catering to everyone else.
So What is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is this transition time around menopause where lots of symptoms start to show. It is during this time that your ovaries stop releasing eggs and the levels of your hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop. Your cycles will start to become a little more irregular as this natural process occurs.
Once you have had 12 consecutive months without a period - you have transitioned into menopause.
The Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Perimenopause:
There are a lot!
And for everyone, it is soooo different.
But all are valid, and no, you’re not going crazy.
Irregular periods
Missing a periods
Periods getting heavier or lighter
Low libido
Hot flashes
Changes in metabolism
Brain fog
Fatigue
Mood swings
Night sweats
Bloating
Dryness - mouth, throat, vagina
Needing to urinate more - without change of water intake
Issues with sleeping
Anxiety
Less resilient to stressful situations
What’s the Chinese Medicine Perceptive to WHY These Symptoms Happen?
Like most conditions, Chinese Medicine doesn’t see perimenopausal symptoms caused by one singular issue. There a few organ systems that are acting in this imbalance. However, there is one aspect that is really common and that is the deficiency of Yin.
Yin is one of the vital substances and is the cooler, darker, more moisturising aspect of Yang. Yin is related closely to Blood energy whereas Yang is related closely to Qi (vital energy). Throughout our lives, as we bleed each cycle, we lose Blood energy and our Yin starts to dry up. Over time, we naturally become Yin deficient and need a little help to nourish that cooling substance so we aren’t feeling hot and agitated.
Yin can also become depleted due to a diet full of inflammatory foods, such as deep fried and greasy foods, lots of refined sugar, as well as alcohol and large amounts of caffeine. Chronic illness and long bouts of unmanaged stress can also deplete Yin.
Modern World Vs Ancient China and Menopause.
There is only a small amount of information in ancient Chinese Medicine texts that speak of the treatment of menopausal symptoms.
That doesn’t mean that no one going through these issues back in the day. Maybe women didn’t talk about it as much or maybe the life expectancy wasn’t as long so there isn’t as much information and care needed.
However, from what I was explaining in the first part of this blog, there is a very different view point between ancient Chinese and the modern times today on menopause. I see so many people dreading menopause, expressing how getting older sucks, and that there is pressure to always be young and beautiful. It’s a real bummer.
As women and people who bleed move into this menopausal transitioning phase there is so much external social and internal self worth pressure occurring.
Self image is one. Our bodies change and with society telling us that we must always look a particular way there is a lot of pressure to be someone you were, not who you are becoming.
During menopause many people also find themselves in the sandwich years - where you have children to look after as well as older parents. This stress does not help with the nourishing of Yin. And of course work-life balance might not be balanced at all. Women are usually the ones who work and take care of the mental load in their home life too. Plus some children and maybe a pet as well, then everything feels like a huge crushing weight. Of course your symptoms are going to flare.
How Does Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Help?
Acupuncture can help with the nourishing of Yin. So can Chinese herbs.
Acupuncture will also look after the emotional side of the perimenopausal struggle.
The best thing about acupuncture is that is isn’t an either/or option. I work with people who are on HRT (hormonal replacement therapy), who are thinking about going on it, or who want to try hold it off for as long as they can (or before divorce is on the books). I can work along with where ever you are in your journey of transition.
Another great aspect of acupuncture is that it can help with your stress. It lowers cortisol - the stress hormone - so if you are struggling with day to day life, this can help manage how you react to the stress, hopefully allowing you to be more calm and stable in your actions.
At Home Care For Perimenopause:
In between session of acupuncture and along side the Chinese herbal formulas I prescribe, these are things I get my clients who are suffering from perimenopausal symptoms to do at home to help their Yin.
Diet
This is easy - you eat cooling foods to help Yin.
Foods that are heating are a no-no.
They will continue to dry up Yin and irritate your signs and symptoms.
Foods that are cooling:
Add these into your weekly diet
Grains: barley, millet
Fruit: apple, apricot, avocado, banana, lemon, lime, mango, mulberry, pear, persimmon, pineapple, pomegranate, watermelon
Vegetables: alfalfa sprout, artichoke, asparagus, kelp, mung bean sprout, pea, potato, seaweed, string bean, sweet potato, tomato, water chestnut, yam, zucchini
Beans: adzuki, black beans, black soybean, kidney, lima, mung, tofu
Nuts/Seeds: sesame seed, black sesame seed, walnut
Fish: fish in general but especially clam, crab, cuttlefish, oyster, octopus, sardine
Eggs: chicken egg, duck egg
Meat: beef, duck, pork, rabbit
Herbs/Spices: marjoram, nettle
Condiments: honey, malt
Beverages: coconut milk
Foods that are heating:
If you are suffering really badly, stopping all these completely for a couple of weeks would be very helpful, then you can slowly introduce when you are feeling better and see if you can handle them in small amounts.
Refined sugar, artificial sweeteners
Coffee and energy drinks
Alcohol
Highly processed foods
Excessive intake of salt - table salt
Hot and spicy foods
Dairy
Acrid spices like garlic, pepper, chillies
Ditch the Coffee and Alcohol
I would bet that many of you have already noticed how alcohol and caffeine are no longer serving you but you might be ignoring it.
Caffeine and alcohol is heating.
It is NOT your friend.
You WILL notice a huge difference if you stop it completely.
It’s not forever, it’s just for this transition - get on decaf, or herbal teas.
Try all the zero alcohol drinks you can get everywhere now.
Give your Yin a chance!
Yin Movement
Usually we are all go go go! A lot of us exercise by smashing ourselves. That’ll deplete your Yin further. Now, I am not saying don’t exercise, but add in some slower movement to your week - like Yin yoga, Tai chi, slow walking in nature, or just simple slow stretching to slow your nervous system down a little bit.
What next?
If you are suffering, you don’t need to do it alone.
Get yourself booked in for an appointment to have a chat about how I can help you through this very natural and what can be a smoother transition of your life.
Let me help you find your way!
x Dr Alice
Written by a human
AI is great, but I treat from the heart so I may as well communicate from the heart - expect spelling and gramma mistakes, human, not perfect x