The Hormone Health Clinic
specialising in body identical hormone therapy
menopause
The menopause happens to every women and defines the end of a woman’s fertility. However, in today’s world there are a number of environmental factors that affect our ability to adapt to change. These include environmental toxins, poor nutrition, a lack of essential minerals and day-to-day stress. Therefore, the decline in the reproductive hormones can have a significant impact on a women’s general health and vitality. Hormone receptors are all over the body and are crucial for health and wellbeing so an array of symptoms can result as a consequence of this change.
The menopause is defined as the time after which a woman has not experienced any menstrual flow for a year or more. This indicates that the ovaries have now become inactive.
The transition time leading to the menopause is called the peri-menopause and this can span over 10 years or more. During this time the reproductive hormones can fluctuate and cause a variety of symptoms which impact on women to different degrees.
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The severity of the symptoms is highly variable and affects each woman differently. For some it can be life changing and have huge implications on their emotional and physical wellbeing as well as their relationships.
This is why it is important to consider each woman individually and tailor their treatment to their specific needs.
Symptoms overlap with those of the peri-menopause and can continue to fluctuate as they decline for several years post-menopause.
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Common symptoms include:
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Hot flushes
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Night sweats
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Insomnia
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Changes in mood, such as feeling tired, irritable, depressed or anxious
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Difficulty concentrating or poor memory
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Joint aches and pains
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Changes to the vagina, such as thinning, dryness, discomfort, itching and pain during sex
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Loss of interest in sex (loss of libido)
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Urinary problems – such as recurrent urinary tract infections, loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence).
As a woman moves through each phase of menopause, hormone levels can fluctuate significantly, however, these vital hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone remain important for bones, vaginal health, skin, brain function and cardiovascular health. It is therefore important to effectively balance and replenish these hormones in order to maintain a woman’s health, energy, mood and brain function.
As each woman is unique, the changes happening in her body at that specific time will be different from the next. It is therefore important to provide a bespoke treatment plan specifically tailored to her own hormone imbalance and needs.
At The Hormone Health Clinic, a detailed consultation helps determine how the hormonal changes are impacting on you. Usually blood tests are not necessary for diagnosis due to the fluctuations in hormones at this time. During the consultation an individualised treatment plan to be made with the aim of relieving you of the symptoms impacting on your life.