Our Vibrant Spirit Ltd. Women’s Health programme has been tailored to provide expert personalised advice and care for women navigating hormonal transitions and changes arising throughout perimenopause and menopause. We are extremely aware that individuals and their symptoms and experiences vary widely, and also that they vary hugely day to day.
We listen to you and your concerns, and gain insight into your lifestyle, health, relationships, stressors, and activity levels, as well as to any sexual and mental health concerns you may have, to help us to understand the varied and variable symptoms you are actually experiencing, day to day, month to month in a relaxed, supportive clinical setting in our clinic in Cheveley.
We can offer you personalised nutrition support and an individualised nutrition for health plan to help you buffer hormonal changes. As well as insight into supplements that might help transitional changes.
We can offer rehabilitation and wellbeing plans to help you flow through the hormonal changes into a fitter happier and maybe even healthier person!
We can also refer you to menopause specialists within East Anglia or London, who will support you to gain prescription for body identical hormone replacement? or for blood testing and further scans or screening such as mammograms/baseline hormonal blood testing/ or bone density scanning for example.
Perimenopause is the transition period before menopause, marked by hormonal fluctuations and irregular periods, while menopause is the point of having no period for 12 consecutive months. Both can cause symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, and brain fog, which are linked to changing and eventually lower hormone levels, primarily oestrogen and progesterone.
WHAT IS PERIMENOPAUSE? is a time when the ovaries begin to change and lessen the production of hormones.
Timing: It can start anywhere from your mid-30s to your mid-50s, with an average length of four years, though it can last up to eight to ten years.
Hormonal changes: Levels of oestrogen and progesterone rise and fall erratically, affecting the timing and flow of your periods. Ovulation becomes less regular, but pregnancy is still possible.
Key indicator: Irregular periods are the key marker. Cycles may become shorter, longer, heavier, or lighter, or you may miss periods for several months.
Symptoms: The hormonal fluctuations cause a wide array of symptoms, including:
Physical: Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, headaches, joint and muscle aches, vaginal dryness, bladder issues, and changes in libido.
Mental and emotional: Mood swings, trouble sleeping, anxiety, low mood, irritability, and “brain fog” (memory and concentration problems).
WHAT IS MENOPAUSE? It arises 12-24 months after menstrual cycle ceases.
WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN? A woman has officially reached menopause after one full year of complete cessation of menstrual periods. In the UK, the average age is at 51 years.
Hormonal changes: After this point, oestrogen and progesterone levels remain consistently low.
Symptoms: While some symptoms that began in perimenopause may ease, others, such as vaginal dryness, bladder issues, and joint pain, can persist for years. Additional health risks can also arise due to consistently low oestrogen levels.
Health considerations: Post-menopausal women are at an increased risk of health conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease, and cognitive changes.
Treatment and management:
Treatment for menopause and perimenopause symptoms can help improve your quality of life. The options include:
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Medications that replace the declining oestrogen and progesterone, helping to relieve symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness and protect against osteoporosis.
Non-hormonal medications: These include certain antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs), which can help manage mood swings and hot flashes, and other medications for specific issues like hot flashes and overactive bladder.
Lifestyle changes:
Diet: Maintain a healthy diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D to support bone health.
Exercise: Regular physical activity can help manage weight, improve mood, and protect bone density.
Trigger avoidance: Identify and avoid triggers for hot flashes, such as caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods.
Stress management: Techniques like yoga, meditation, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help manage mood changes and anxiety also.