If you’re in your mid-30s and find you’re on a hormonal roller coaster, you may be entering perimenopause.
Firstly, don’t panic! This doesn’t mean you’re going to enter menopause anytime soon. This stage in a woman’s reproductive life can last a decade and isn’t a sign that menopause is imminent.
Secondly, don’t assume you have to suck it up and suffer through it! You can take steps to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. What’s more, everything you do to support your body in perimenopause will make your eventual menopause easier to manage.
In menopause, estrogen decreases, but in perimenopause, estrogen production can become erratic, leading to surges of estrogen often accompanied by lower progesterone. It’s this “estrogen dominance” that causes many of the symptoms of perimenopause, including irregular cycles, worsening PMS, heavy or light periods, mood swings, weight gain, breast tenderness, low libido, and skin breakouts.
Because reproductive hormones fluctuate rather than dwindle, everyone’s perimenopause is different, and symptoms can change over time. Chinese medical diagnosis is based on identifying patterns of disharmony and their effect on the whole body. This gives us tools to identify and treat conditions that involve change and imbalance. We can help you understand your unique pattern and explain how to address it with diet and lifestyle changes.
Research shows acupuncture is effective at treating symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, and PMS. Chinese medicine is based on the idea that your body constantly rebalances itself using a form of somatic intelligence known as qi. All day, your body adapts to change, synchronizing its efforts and coordinating its functions. Acupuncture is a simple prompt for that self-regulating system and works to gently rebalance hormones without side effects.
Herbal medicine has more subtle effects than pharmaceutical drugs, and in the case of perimenopause or any hormone imbalance, that subtlety is its strength. We can craft an herbal formula to address your unique symptom pattern and adapt your herbal blend as your body changes.
Here’s the advice we give our patients to help them take their perimenopause in hand:
- A tailored herbal formula works best because people’s symptoms vary. We’re available virtually for a consultation, or if you visit us for acupuncture, we will prescribe herbs as part of your treatment.
- Pay attention to your diet. You may find that some food changes are all you need to regain control over your hormones.
- Fiber: You should have a daily bowel movement. Your body removes excess estrogen through the stool. If you have constipation, the excess estrogen gets reabsorbed and causes a hormone imbalance. So make sure you get plenty of whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
- Iron: If you have heavy periods, you may feel tired and lethargic, so to maintain your energy levels, include some iron-rich foods, such as red meat, leafy greens, eggs, and nuts.
- Calcium: support your bone health by including calcium-rich foods such as almonds, sardines, broccoli, legumes, and milk or yogurt.
- Avoid processed foods and refined sugars, which increase inflammation and make it harder for your body to balance your hormones.
- Exercise can help you regulate your weight and moods and improve your circulation, which in turn helps your body achieve hormonal balance.
- Take care of your liver! Your liver plays a role in hormone metabolism by converting excess estrogen into a less active form. So now’s the time to cut back on alcohol, giving your body at least four alcohol-free days a week.
- Find a way to address life’s stressors. For example, yoga, meditation, walking, singing, journaling, or simply sitting in a quiet space can give your body a chance to relax, releasing physical tension and helping you balance your hormones.
And lastly, come and see us for regular acupuncture! We can treat your symptoms and get to the root of the imbalance so you can experience this natural transition without unpleasant symptoms.
