Lets Talk about Menopause 

As women we all go though the stages of life that can be challenging, and Menopause can be one of these bewildering times in a woman’s life. 

To help you find your way through Menopause I will give you an outline of the hormones involved, as these are so often talked about with often little understanding from the woman.  Firstly, Menopause means ceasing of the Menses – basically periods stopping.

Stages of Menopause

• transition from your reproductive phase 
• menopausal transition or perimenopause 
• menopause is when you have not had a period (menstruation) for 12 months 
• Post-Menopausal

Female Reproductive Hormones

• Oestrogen – is the hormone responsible for the onset of puberty, regulating menstruation cycles and maintain pregnancy. Also, protective role over the heart, liver, bones, brain and skin.
• 3 types of Oestrogen
• Oestradiol – the most biologically active from of oestrogen, produced by the ovaries in women of childbearing age 
• Oestriol – produced by the placenta during childbirth
• Oestrone – produced by the adrenal glands and adipose tissue after the menopause (Adipose tissue is commonly known as body fat. It is found all over the body. It can be found under the skin (subcutaneous fat), packed around internal organs (visceral fat), between muscles, within bone marrow and in breast tissue)
• Progesterone – is produced in the corpus luteum following ovulation and prepared body for possible pregnancy, plays a role maintaining pregnancy if it should occur. (Your corpus luteum is a completely normal cyst that forms on the ovary every single month in women of childbearing age. This cyst is actually a group of cells inside your ovaries that forms during each menstrual cycle. It appears right after an egg leaves your ovary) (Ovulation is the term for when a mature egg is released from the ovary. This either results in pregnancy or your period occurs 14 days later)
• Oestrogen and Progesterone levels decrease with age as the ovarian function declines
• Androgens – these are produced by the ovaries and Adrenal cortex they include the hormones Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Androstenedione and Testosterone.

(Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) is a steroid hormone. Most of it is made by the adrenal cortex, the outer part of the two adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys. DHEA-S is an androgen (a male-type sex hormone), but is made by males and females both

DHEA-S is a building block for making the male sex hormone testosterone and the female sex hormone oestrogen. A DHEA-S test measures the amount of the hormone in the bloodstream)

(Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone produced by the body’s adrenal glands. The body uses DHEA to make androgens and oestrogens, the male and female sex hormones. DHEA levels peak at about age 25, then go down steadily as you get older)

(Androstenedione is a steroid hormone that has weak, androgenic actions on the body itself. However, it mainly acts as a steppingstone in the manufacture of testosterone and oestrogen within the body)

(Testosterone – combined with estrogen, the female sex hormone, testosterone helps with the growth, maintenance, and repair of a woman’s reproductive tissues, bone mass, and human behaviors. An imbalance of testosterone in the female body can have damaging effects on a woman’s health and sex drive)

Menopausal Transition

Throughout the menopausal transition, a woman’s primary form of oestrogen switches from oestradiol to oestrone. This change is responsible for many of the phycological and phycological changes that occur during this time.

Menopause also significantly impacts a range of other reproductive hormones, and these can be markers to determine the stages of menopause.

Menopause Blog Series

I hope this is helpful I will continue with more blogs to help you understand the Menopause, as understanding can reduce some of the anxiety around the changes you are going through. 

Acupuncture and Menopause

Traditional Five Element Acupuncture can help with the transition through menopause.  The Five Element theory can provide the treatment framework to rectify deep imbalances and therefor alleviating multiple problems.

Traditional Five Element Acupuncture treat each person individually and holistically, treating and caring for your needs through often a difficult time in your life.

More Blogs on Menopause Transition coming….

Treatment

For more information and treatment please contact Hannah on: https://www.southwellacupuncture.co.uk/contact/

Hannah is A Member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC)

The British Acupuncture Council is committed to ensuring that all patients receive the highest standard of professional care during their acupuncture treatment. Our Code of Professional Conduct governs ethical and professional behaviour, while the Code of Safe Practice sets benchmark standards for best practice in acupuncture. All BAcC members are bound by these codes.

All members are accountable to the BAcC for their professional behaviour and the codes are rigorously enforced.

For more information contact; https://acupuncture.org.uk/

Ref: Menopause A comprehensive Guide for Practitioners By Katherine Berry and Chandra Saunders