Unexpected Gifts

“Choosing to go through perimenopause and not staying on ‘the pill’ until reaching menopause has given me the gifts of acceptance of my life-stage and saying goodbye to my fertile self. I have often thought that by staying on ‘the pill’ and by-passing these invaluable gifts, I would have short-changed myself. Not only would I not have reached this acceptance, but I would not have learned to give myself permission to take care of myself. I would not have a new understanding of womxn’s health and menstrual cycles that I can now pass on to my daughter. In spite of some challenging symptoms associated with this phase, my overall physical health has been elevated to a level above what I could have ever imagined.”

Why Would You Want to Do That?

When asking my patient about her experience versus her friend’s experience, she reported that, “My journey has looked very, very different from that of women who have received allopathic treatment of menopausal symptoms. In fact, when I first began to ask about the possibility of discontinuing ‘the pill’ a few years before actually taking the step, my allopathic practitioner at the time had simply asked me, “Why would you want to do that?”

Naturopathic Support

“At that time, I could not have known all of the benefits of discontinuing ‘the pill,’ even at age 47. But I knew enough to know that I wanted to stop taking the fake hormones. And I knew that if I stopped, I was not going to find the support I would need from the conventional medicine world. I took the step to make an appointment with a naturopathic physician. This was my very first step of a life-changing journey that not only elevated my physical health, but has also led me to understand the realm in which physical and spiritual health overlap. This has transformed my life in ways beyond what I could have ever imagined!”

I have been working with this patient for four years now. Her commitment to go to the depths of herself to heal is what holistic health is all about. I witnessed her start a successful preschool, develop healthier relationships with her family, mentor her daughter through her own health issues, and step gracefully into the woman she was becoming. After the DUTCH test, nutritional recommendations, and custom herbal formulas healed her physical symptoms, she began five-element Flower Essence Therapy and Somatic Experiencing with me. In each session, she turned the confusion of this transition inward and began to look for the nooks within to heal. Each boundary and realization that she experienced has brought her closer to who she is meant to be in this world. As a fertility specialist that witnesses many gateway transitions of women, I humbly take great joy in witnessing her “becoming”.

When asked what advice she would give to a woman undergoing the menopausal transition, this is what she said:

Embrace The Change

“I would tell her to embrace this time in her life as an opportunity to get to know herself in ways that will vitally prepare her for the next stage in her life. By accepting this stage as a necessary and divinely designed phase, we can give ourselves permission to take care of our health in ways we may have neglected when we were busy with the demands of raising a family. This time in life can be a time of profound spiritual awakening! It is not a time to dread, fear, or give in to depression. Yes, menopause can rock the boat and stir up new emotions. Yet, this can be a time of soul-searching that leads to refined values, purer relationships, and deeper faith. It can be the beginning of the best years of a woman’s life as the new freedoms of this life-stage pave the way for a wiser, stronger woman to live out her new calling.” Celia Layman, age 51- Harrisonburg, VA

To learn more about menopausal hormone healing, read Menopause Symptoms and Signs.