If you’re not in menopause (or peri-menopause) yet and you’re wondering – WHAT’S COMING? Should I be worried? How bad is it going to be? When will it start?? How long will it last?
Or you’re starting to have some new symptoms and you’re wondering – what the heck is this? Is this hormonal? is this the beginning of peri-menopause – or not?
Or if you’re right in the middle of menopause with full-on symptoms and you’re trying to sort out what’s happening and what to do about it (and wondering how long is this going to last??!!)
Here’s the lowdown for the symptoms of Menopause.
I see menopause as having 3 phases.
PHASE 1:
The first phase is peri-menopause.
You’re still having your cycle.
At first you might only notice that PMS is worse… Or you get hot at night during PMS…
Then the length of your cycle might start to change… It might get shorter – every 21 days or 25 days (or even every 14 days). And then you might find you skip a month – or two.
And the bleeding might get heavier.
You could get some full on hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, brain fog, breast tenderness, vaginal dryness, and trouble sleeping too.
Peri-menopause can last from 1 to 10 or even 15 years (I know, right??!)
It often starts somewhere between age 38 and 48.
PHASE 2:
The second phase is when your cycle really changes and then stops. It might get really scarce or really close together.
If you’re having other symptoms they can get more intense – especially the typical hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, brain fog, and insomnia.
I consider this the heart of menopause – when your hormones are changing the fastest and your symptoms are probably at their peak.
Then your cycle will stop and your body will spend a year or two adjusting to your new, lower hormone levels.
PHASE 3:
Then, when your cycle has been gone for a couple of years – and your body has adjusted.
Any symptoms you’ve been having are tapering off – until you settle into a comfortable post-menopausal state.
If your hormones levels even out nicely at the end of this change – you should be very comfortable.
If your hormones get stuck out of balance you might experience hot flashes night sweats insomnia or mood swings that linger for years or seemingly forever. This isn’t necessary or how it’s supposed to be, however!!
You might also experience increased sagging of your skin…loss of plumpness of your skin…and maybe some increased vaginal dryness.
So, what causes menopause and all these symptoms anyway??
Your hormones levels are changing – they’re declining – estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone!
If these hormones stay in balance with each other while they change – your symptoms of menopause are very minimal – hardly noticeable!
If they get out of balance while they change – which happens if one of them drops more quickly than the others and your body doesn’t adjust – your estrogen/progesterone ratio gets off and that’s where you get the big symptoms of menopause.
This is why some women have symptoms and some have almost none!!
The way I see it, your body was designed to keep those hormones in balance even while they’re changing – leaving you with minimal symptoms.
The problem is that these days we’re too often either:
- Worn out from burning the candle at both ends or not sleeping enough
- Our stress levels are TOO high
- Or our body’s mechanism that keeps those hormones balanced. is being interfered with by environmental endocrine disruptors or poor diet.
My passion is helping women get through menopause with minimal symptoms and feel great after menopause.
A lot of it comes down to:
- Replenishing energy reserves and getting enough sleep & rest
- Managing stress better
- Tuning up our body’s hormone balancing mechanisms with adaptogenic herbs & reducing endocrine disruptors in our diet & lifestyle.
… You’re probably seeing the parallels here.
The thing is, simple as it sounds, it really works.
If you want to get started right now managing menopausal symptoms or preparing for an easier menopause…….
Here are my top 2 tips for managing the symptoms of menopause
- Make your diet close to 50% fruits and vegetables – then include plenty of protein and healthy fat in the rest
- Find a stress management technique you like and get in the habit of practicing it daily – even if it’s only for 2 minutes.
For more details on getting started, download my FREE guide and learn my top 3 proven natural remedies for hormone balancing and menopause symptom relief. http://danalavoielac.com/lead-page-checklist/
Dana LaVoie is all about menopause and helping woman through it. You can read more about her below and you can also click on one of the links to visit her website.