{"id":500,"date":"2022-12-03T01:27:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T22:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drcopehealth.com\/blog\/?p=500"},"modified":"2023-09-29T15:14:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T15:14:58","slug":"c-menopause-symptoms-and-signs-copesthetic-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drcopehealth.com\/c-menopause-symptoms-and-signs-copesthetic-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Menopause – Symptoms and Signs – Copesthetic Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is menopause? Signs, Stages, Symptoms & Treatment of menopause<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Menopause? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people toss around the term \u201cMenopause\u201d comfortably and casually as if they have a thorough understanding of the life transition that is widely known as \u201cThe Change\u201d. For starters, let\u2019s get our terminology straight. This will be helpful moving forward. And then we\u2019ll unpack the most common characteristics of this stage of a woman\u2019s life and try to answer the most daunting questions that arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s carefully define the familiar term \u201cmenopause\u201d in a way that distinguishes it from the lesser known term \u201cperimenopause\u201d. Often, people (and even some healthcare professionals) refer to everything women are facing as they go through this transition (the hot flashes, sleep struggles, mood swings, etc.) as \u201cmenopause\u201d. But \u201cmenopause\u201d actually refers to that one day in a woman\u2019s life when she reaches one year after the first day of her last bleed. From then on, she is considered \u201cpostmenopausal\u201d. And \u201cperimenopause\u201d refers to the long and varied time of physical changes until the end of blood flow. So now that we have our terminology straight, let\u2019s delve in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When does Menopause start, and how long does it last?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Remember that we are actually talking about perimenopause<\/em> here. The average age of crossing from perimenopause into menopause is 51. Some women simply stop bleeding and that\u2019s the end. Plain and simple. Other women experience a roaring of unpredictable surges of symptoms that can last a long time\u2026 1 to 3 years, or maybe more. These women experience dramatic shifts in the amounts and frequency of bleeding over many months or even years. And it\u2019s during this storm that a brand new depth of healing is to be explored. It\u2019s impossible to predict how any one woman\u2019s experience will unfold! Perimenopausal symptoms may begin as early as age 35 and end as late as age 59. Symptoms may begin prematurely from some women.  When a woman reaches menopause before age 40, this is considered premature menopause. Read about Early Menopause here<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to think of menopause as a right of passage, a concept that we are missing in today\u2019s society. It is a time from moving from fertility into a time of letting go and shifting your perspective into that of a wiser woman. That being said, the perimenopausal shift or storm season can be grueling. Especially if you are in the space as many women: Caring for your elderly parents and adult children, or caring for your elderly parents and balancing a career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research states that women can actually be in perimenopause even when their cycles are still regular and normal in length. To make this unpredictable time of life a little clearer see below for a helpful table from the Centre that is widely used when trying to \u201cdiagnose\u201d a particular woman’s stage of menopause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure from The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research<\/em><\/strong>, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women of midlife age who are still having regular cycles 21-35 days apart may still be in \u201cVery Early Perimenopause” if they deal with any 3 of these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table from The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research<\/em><\/strong>, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 80% of perimenopausal women will have hot flashes. Some will experience this while they are still having regular periods. For these women, hot flashes commonly occur right before a bleed. This \u201cVery Early Perimenopause\u201d stage can range from 2-5 years.  I like to call these power surges \ud83d\ude09 Hot flashes is one of the few symptoms I see equally associated with your stress hormone cortisol and sex hormones estrogen\/progesterone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarly Menopausal Transition\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The fun can really begin during this phase, defined by when your period becomes irregular (in cycle length\/volume of blood). You can skip a month to three months between bleeds, and even though you skip a bleed, your hormones still fluctuate enough to make your mood shift, yet there is no pressure relief of the bleed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery Late Perimenopause\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The final phase.If you bleed before this year is up; well, you have to start the clock all over again, unfortunately. AND, not all women pass through each phase linearly. In theory, you could go 7 months without a bleed, and then bleed again for 3 or 4 months! In Dr. Cope’s Menopause group plans, you can find great resources for tracking as your transition becomes smoother and more supported. As you can imagine, tracking through traditional period apps is not the way with the erraticism of hormones during perimenopause. To learn more about menopause group options, click here to schedule an initial visit<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is actually happening as a woman reaches menopause?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brain-Ovarian Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physiologically, the pituitary, one of the mother hormonal glands in the brain, begins to signal to the ovaries to slow down the production of estrogen. The stories that we hear about perimenopausal \u201csurges\u201d are due to communication loops between ovaries and the brain. As the ovarian reserve begins to decline, the granulosa cells (in the ovaries) have less estrogen to produce. As estrogen levels decline in the body, the pituitary begins to scream to the ovaries to wake the eff up. A sudden surge of estrogen may appear and then decline and appear again, which can cause an array of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are unpredictable, seemingly random, and make it very difficult to track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estrogen: The Juicy Hormone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estrogen is the hormone that gives us women our juiciness. Estrogen is responsible for healthy supple tissue; soft skin, supple vaginal tissue, cervical mucus, healthy brain function, and healthy elasticity of muscles and ligaments. Without estrogen, we can dry up. Estrogen is one reason why women are often naturally more flexible than men. When the pituitary ovarian connection results in a decline of estrogen, perimenopause enters. Though many symptoms point to an estrogen connection, it is important to scan for whole health. Often, I see many women that have imbalanced cortisol, emotional health issues, thyroiditis, low progesterone, and stealth infections that are magnified by perimenopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progesterone: Mood + Sleep + More<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progesterone, another female hormone, decreases as you get closer to menopause. This happens because your body only makes progesterone if you ovulate (release an egg). As menopause approaches, you ovulate less often (or sometimes even multiple times a month!). Your progesterone level decreases. Makes sense, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Truth of your Hormones During this Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But do you want to know something that most women\u2019s healthcare providers don\u2019t seem to fully grasp? I\u2019ll let you in on the secret\u2026so there\u2019s this idea that for women is perimenopause, estrogen is on a continual downhill slide. Well that\u2019s a myth. The truth is that during this time, your hormone estrogen levels can go up. \u201cHigh estrogen levels, coupled with characteristically intermittent ovulation, can explain much of the misery of perimenopause\u201d (The Centre for Ovulation and Menstrual Cycle Research) When estrogen levels are high relative to dropping progesterone\u2026this is the root cause for the array of stormy symptoms!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These graphs depict the chaos that results from the unpredictable rising and falling of hormones during perimenopause. As you can see, the craziness you experience is definitely not all in your head! And if, by chance, you are someone who has discontinued the Birth Control Pill in your mid to late 40\u2019s or has a history of bad periods\/ postpartum, your perimenopausal hormone havoc will be even more dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the symptoms of (Peri) Menopause?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pause I witness in perimenopause is generally from the following symptoms: lack of sleep, hot flashes, painful sex, brain fog, migraines, fatigue, and so much more. It is important to remember that our endocrine system (hormones) is a complex symphony of over 200 hormones. And if one is off key, it can throw the entire song out of tune. For instance, I often see hot flashes associated with stress levels, which is a cortisol connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other menopausal symptoms may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n