Peri-menopause can begin as early as the mid-thirties with some women experiencing only a few minor disturbances to their overall state of health, while a growing number of women may suffer from severe and life altering changes to their physical, psychological and emotional levels of being.
Hormonal changes, especially fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone levels, are perfectly natural and normal during this time in a woman’s life. These fluctuations can however be too drastic and unbalanced leading to a wide variety of uncomfortable symptoms such as:
- Irregular periods
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Insomnia
- Memory loss
- Weight gain
- Hair loss
- Decrease in sex drive
- Fatigue
- Loss of self confidence
- Headaches
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Vaginal and Bladder problems
- Bone density loss
- Mood disorders – depression, anxiety, irrational anger etc.
Women experiencing some or most of the above symptoms may feel that they are going through a horrible and unavoidable time in their lives and resign themselves to suffering through it as best they can. Their first port of call tends to be a visit to their GP who usually prescribes anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication or hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
However, pre-menopause and all these symptoms are not just about bio-chemical changes and the need to medicate your way through it. This is a powerful time in a woman’s life when women need to look at how they have been living their lives up until this point in time. The struggle to balance families and work, the lack of self-care and burning the candle at both ends are all major contributing factors in the creation and development of some or all of these pre-menopausal symptoms.
MY APPROACH
My specialised treatment programme for peri-menopausal women helps them to identify and address the causes of their health imbalance. We offer each woman an individual treatment plan, incorporating dietary advice, appropriate exercises, cranial osteopathy, and psychotherapy (if and when needed) and advice on natural herbal and food supplements. The overall aim is to offer a natural approach which will help the body rebalance its hormonal system and to offer support to women to help them make the necessary lifestyle changes which will bring about a sense of wellbeing and renewed good health.