Hot flashes are a very common occurrence for women around the time of menopause. It is estimated that 50% of perimenopausal women experience hot flashes. Perimenopause refers to the time before a woman loses her fertility, this typically occurs in their early to mid 40s. At this time the level of women's estrogen levels are rising and falling at uneven rates sometimes resulting in hot flashes usually 1 to 2 years before menopause.
Women before, during and after menopause can experience hot flashes. An estimated 75-85% of postmenopausal women experience hot flashes with some frequency and can last over a period of 6 months to 15 years. The severity, frequency and duration of hot flashes is very individual.
Acupuncture can help to regulate chemicals in the body including hormones. This makes it a very natural therapy to help reduce hot flashes. Acupuncture can be used alone or in combination with other therapies. Regular acupuncture treatments help to reduce to the frequency and duration of hot flashes!
→ Are you starting to experience menopause or menopausal symptoms?
→ Are you noticing more lower back or pelvic pain?
→ Are you experiencing incontinence or leaking with activity that you have never had before?
→ Do you have nagging aches and pains that just won’t go away?
Menopause is a major life event that creates changes to our body that many of us don’t even know about. The shift in hormones slows our tissue healing times, reduces the integrity and elasticity of our connective tissues and decreases our muscle mass and bone density. For these reasons, it is very important to maintain an active lifestyle to keep the body strong for this stage of life. But for many, they begin to experience nagging aches and pains and especially pelvic issues that they never had as a younger adult when trying to be active during menopause.
All of these things could, in part, be due to menopause causing the connective tissues in the pelvic floor to loose their elasticity. Without this elasticity, our core and pelvic floor can’t function properly to support our organs and the rest of the body. Chiropractic and proper pelvic floor rehabilitation can help improve these symptoms to help get you back to doing the things you love without the pain and dysfunction!
Chiropractic helps all people from all walks of life but can be very beneficial for special populations such as those experiencing or about to experience perimenopause. Since this is a time for drastic change in metabolism, bone growth and collagen formation many aches and pains as well as weaknesses can expose themselves.
Chiropractic can assess and improve muscle imbalances, joint stiffness as well as prevent tendon injuries with soft tissue techniques, joint mobilizations and exercises. We also want to support great body mechanics to keep you exercising through these years to prevent bone density loss.
Common Body Symptoms During Perimenopause
- shoulder pain/injuries,
- urinary incontinence,
- plantar fasciosis or foot pain,
- headaches and
- recurrent low back injuries.
Perimenopause is a time when your body is going through numerous changes. Because of those changes, your body could use a little bit more of certain nutrients.
Diet and lifestyle may not be a cure-all for everything that ails you. Still, the choices you make each day about how you eat and how you live can make a big difference in your quality of life. Focusing on the right foods and making the right choices can help prepare you for long-term health as you enter this phase of your life. You may even find relief from some of the uncomfortable symptoms that perimenopause can cause
Some common symptoms of perimenopause include:
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- irregular periods, which includes changes in flow or frequency
- vaginal dryness
- mood changes, including irritability or depression
- hot flashes
- night sweats, which may inhibit sleep
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Menopause refers to the transition in a woman’s life from reproductive to a non-reproductive state as hormone production from the ovaries declines. Perimenopause on the other hand describes the period before menopause when hormone levels tend to fluctuate wildly, causing many uncomfortable symptoms.
- Hot flashes and/or night sweats
- Migraines or premenstrual headaches
- Vaginal dryness
- Anxiety
- Low libido
- Fatigue
- Hair loss, thinning, or dry and brittle hair
- Irritability, mood changes
- Memory loss
- Increased cardiovascular risk
- Decreased bone density
- Poor skin elasticity
- Insomnia
You do NOT have to suffer through this stage.
As early as 40-45, some women start to experience perimenopause, the precursor to menopause. During perimenopause, declining progesterone causes estrogen dysfunction, leading to irregular periods, heavy menstrual flow, breast pain, and weight gain. Excess stress and unhealthy lifestyle choices can intensify symptoms. Correcting hormonal imbalances is very important during perimenopause, and we will work closely with you to achieve balanced hormone levels during this phase.
AltaVie Health Naturopathic Doctor carefully examines the whole body with a full-spectrum hormone analysis, including thyroid and adrenal hormones. In addition can prescribe bioidentical hormones to aid in the menopausal transition.
The key to reducing these symptoms is an individual treatment plan specific to your body that will help you feel vibrant again.
