A healthy menstrual cycle generally reflects a healthy lifestyle. Changes in mood, along with symptoms of pain and discomfort associated with menstruation, are too often accepted as ‘just a normal part of being a woman’. Nevertheless, despite being common, if and when symptoms do arise, they should be viewed for what they are – a system out of balance, and as such, not something that needs to be endured. The symptoms should be addressed and resolved once the underlying causes of the imbalance are identified and treated. Take our Health Appraisal Questionnaire to identify the areas of your health you may need support with.
As a woman progresses through life, her menstrual cycle will typically change in response to changing levels of reproductive hormones. These changes can bedivided into 4 stages
Most girls will start menstruating somewhere between the ages of 10 to 15, and sometimes even younger. During the first few years the cycle may be irregular or heavy as the body adjusts normal monthly hormonal ƒfluctuations.
As a woman reaches her reproductive age, the timing of ovulation and menstruation should be fairly regular.
This can refer to a period of time between 2 to 12 years prior to menopause occurring. It is a time of fluctuating estrogen levels, where the menstrual cycle begins to change. The cycle may become heavier or lighter, shorter or longer. Though many women transition to menopause very smoothly, it is not uncommon for some women to experience a wide range of symptoms and menstrual disturbances during this time, including hot flushes, sleep disruption and night sweats.
Menopause is a point in time when a female has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. It marks the end of the reproductive years. On average, menopause is reached at around age 51. Take our Hormone Questionnaire to identify if you may need assistance fromour experienced Adelaide naturopath to transition through menopause with optimal health.
This is the name given to the time after you haven’t had a period for an entire year (or the rest of your life after menopause). During this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, may begin to improve. However, some people continue to experience menopausal symptoms for a decade longer after the menopause transition. As a result of a lower estrogen level, women in the postmenopausal phase are at an increased risk for several health conditions, such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
What you do and don’t eat can have a significant impact on your hormones and overall health. An optimal diet provides the right amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) and micronutrients to promote wellbeing. Choose organic fruits, vegetables, seeds and meats as much as possible, and make the effort to avoid overly processed and refined foods. This will reduce the risk of you consuming unwanted chemicals and pesticides, as well as reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in your body.
Not sleeping well can significantly influence how you react to stress during the day, as well as contribute to inflammation in the body. Regular quality sleep is required to heal and restore your body.
Establishing a routine of regular exercise that incorporates a combination of cardio, resistance training, and restorative exercises (such as yoga and Tai Chi), are important for two reasons. Firstly, it promotes healthy detoxification of sex hormones, and secondly, increases your ability to cope with stress. Just 3 x 60-minute sessions of cardio per week can improve physical and emotional symptoms of PMS.
By learning to cope with stress, you help to balance your estrogen and progesterone, which has benefits for symptoms of PMS and menopause,and promotes a healthy cycle.
One of the most debilitating symptoms of perimenopause are hot flushes, which occur with greater frequency and severity under stress. Practicing breathing techniques regularly has been shown to reduce hot flushes by up to 50%. Becoming more mindful of your breath simply requires you to start paying attention to it on a regular basis. Notice how the rhythm varies as your mood or emotions change. It’s possible to calm yourself by slowing your breathing rate and taking a few deep breaths – a proven stress-reducing strategy you can take anywhere to help you feel more centred and relaxed.
The most common mood-related symptoms include irritability, anxiety, poor mood and weepiness. Common physical symptoms include fluid retention, bloating. Breast tenderness, acne, food cravings, brain fog andsleep disturbances.
This term is used to describe painful periods. The pain can be described as a continual dull ache or sense of heaviness with episodes of cramping pain. The pain is usually central and located in the lower abdomen. Period pain is classified into two types:
Primary dysmenorrhea – where there is period pain but the uterus itself is otherwise healthy and functioning normally.
Secondary dysmenorrhea – where the period pain is caused by an underlying condition, such as endometriosis.
This is a condition where endometrial tissue (the lining of the uterus) is found in sites outside the uterus, but typically within the abdomen. Estrogen stimulates the growth of endometrial tissue. Every month, when estrogen is being produced, endometrial tissue growth is stimulated, wherever it is located. This can cause significant pain and inflammation, pelvic discomfort, abnormal bleeding, PMS, and in some cases may affect fertility.
These are benign (non-cancerous) growths that may be asymptomatic, or may cause heavy periods, anaemia, frequent urination, constipation and pain. Fibroids have also been associated with infertility.
This condition is characterised by elevated testosterone levels in a woman’s body. Symptoms of PCOS include hirsutism (excessive growth of hair on the face or body), obesity, infertility and insulin resistance (blood glucose imbalance).
Many women seek out natural solutions for them management of these and other hormonal imbalances, finding the approach of complementary medicine (naturopathy) very effective. Holistic treatment of female reproductive issues focuses on restoring balance to hormonal and reproductive systems, not only by addressing symptoms, but also by correcting any underlying imbalance.
Treating female hormonal imbalances focuses on addressing any excess or deficiency in the activity of a hormone, rather than by increasing or decreasing the production of a hormone. This has particular relevance for women that present with clinical symptoms of hormone imbalance, but do not necessarily have ‘abnormal’ hormone levels reflected in their blood tests or other pathology.
As an experienced and leading Adelaide naturopath in South Australia, Merridy Casson has a unique functional medicine approach which revolves around identifying the underlying cause of her client’s health concerns or disease.
As an experienced and leading Adelaide naturopath in South Australia, Merridy Casson has a unique functional medicine approach which revolves around identifying the underlying cause of her client’s health concerns or disease.