What do you know about perimenopause and post menopause symptoms?

Did you know that the term period is short for "periodic illness" ? If you're guessing that term was coined by a 19th century man, you'd be right! I guess its a step up from another old fashioned term - month-disease!

As someone with a deep interest in menstrual wellness, navigating the myths vs facts vs pop science often felt like I was putting together a jigsaw puzzle without a guide... upside down... in the rain. So last year I spent 220 hours studying menstrual health and menopause support with the team at Yoga Nidra Network, learning from a variety of professional yoga therapists, midwives, Ayurvedic specialists, and activists. Even as somewhat of a "menstrual hobbyist," there was so much I just didn't know!

Here are a few fun facts I've learned as I've studied menopause:

Perimenopause is the period of time when estrogen in the body decreases, causing menstrual cycles to fluctuate. Decreasing estrogen can cause hot flashes, joint pain, sleeplessness, mood changes, and genitourinary symptoms (vaginal dryness, bladder sensitivity, etc). These fluctuations can last between 4-10 years for most until you've reached "menopause" (12 months without a menstrual cycle). I'm sorry to say these symptoms just don't go away once you've moved into "post menopause" living!
Premature Menopause happens when ovaries stop producing estrogen and releasing eggs by age 40. This can be caused by Primary Ovarian Insufficiency, chemotherapy, surgery - either removal of the ovaries or removal of the uterus, or both - and certain chronic illnesses. Early Menopause is when menopause happens before the age of 45. In both cases, hormone replacement therapy is important to protect heart and bone health.
Feeling hot? A hot flash (aka vasomotor symptoms or VMS) doesn't just make you sweaty. It also sends a surge of cortisol, a powerful stress hormone, into your blood stream. Chronic surges of cortisol can disrupt other systems of the body like digestion and elimination and yes, hormone regulation. It can become a perpetuating cycle if you don't have tools to intervene when your stress hormones rise. As an aside, that's why there is a strong link between chronic stress, especially in early life development, and chronic illnesses as an adult.
A long term study called SWAN found that some people who had hot flashes before menopause continued to have them for the following 6-10 years. There was also a high correlation between chronic stress and hot flashes.
Most general practitioners have very little training in menopause related symptoms - usually ten hours or less. They might be making judgements on treatments, especially hormone therapy, based on outdated science or old fashioned misogyny.
Don't have a menstrual bleed, and not sure if you're in perimenopause? You aren't alone! Procedures like hysterectomies or endometrial ablations are increasingly common in the US, and certain birth control methods also suppress menstrual cycles. If you retained one or both ovaries and are consistently experiencing hot flashes or another symptom of perimenopause, you don't need more "evidence" than that!
Once you are post menopause, the biggest concerns are cardiovascular health (estrogen plays an important role in keeping arteries healthy), bone density (estrogen is also important there!), and genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) (and yes, decreasing estrogen in the culprit once more) - changes in the vaginal tissues that can cause dryness, pain, and urinary sensitivity.

Can yoga therapy help with menopause symptoms?

Half the world will go through menopause, but that doesn't mean equity in medical research, primary care expertise (most GPs have less than ten hours of training on menopause), or cultural compassion. The modern stigma around aging and menopause is pervasive, and "polite society" pressured generations of women to stay silent about their experiences. Modern medicine hasn’t caught up to the indigenous cultural wisdom around menopause in practices such as Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Yoga can help regulate stress, improve joint pain, and deepen sleep. What I think makes the approach of yoga therapy so powerful is that its integrative - braiding together yoga practices to address physical symptoms, a gentle look at lifestyle habits that could be shifted for better quality of life, and open hearted discussions about the pressures of responsibilities and mainstream culture as our bodies change.

If you are looking for one on one support, yoga therapy can create an integrative plan for your unique body and experiences. I am accepting new clients via interest list. Want more accessible, welcoming yoga classes? Join us for a group class online or become a member for unlimited group classes and members only workshops!