The menopause: a natural transition from one life stage to another
Perimenopause is the first phase in a natural life process where a woman’s ovaries gradually make less oestrogen and she becomes less fertile. Her body then makes its transition over a few months or years to the menopause, when her menstrual cycle and natural reproductive ability end. This generally happens between her mid-forties to mid-fifties, although about 1% of women experience premature menopause before the age of forty. After a year without periods a woman is regarded as postmenopausal.
Sudden menopause
The menopause can also be brought on suddenly by an underlying medical condition like Addison’s disease, or by certain medical treatments. These include surgery to remove the ovaries, some breast cancer treatments, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Common symptoms
Given the hormonal changes that take place, most women experience some symptoms – very common examples being hot flushes, day/night sweats, sleep problems and mood changes.
For some women these are mild and manageable, whilst others may experience physical and emotional symptoms severe enough to reduce their quality of life. Women who have gone into sudden menopause may well be more severely affected.
Traditional acupuncture can help with symptoms
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a holistic therapeutic system used for thousands of years as an effective natural means of dealing with gynaecological issues, including those arising from the menopause process. It views problematic physical and emotional symptoms as signs that a woman’s body is out of balance.
Acupuncture follows a thorough diagnostic process to understand the nature of the imbalance. Acupuncture points are then selected carefully as part of an individualised treatment plan to correct it, helping to relieve symptoms and promote improvements to health and wellbeing. An acupuncture session may also include discussion about nutrition and lifestyle, where making some changes may be helpful in keeping symptoms at bay.
Getting treatment
If you are experiencing difficult menopausal symptoms and would like to see if acupuncture can help you, we have a regular acupuncture clinic here at Mid Sussex Osteopaths with Christine MacFie. To book an appointment please book online or call reception on 01444 360359.
More information on acupuncture and our clinics can be found on our website.
