What is the Menopause?

🦋Talking about Aromatherapy and Menopause

💜What is the Menopause?

NHS Choices states that the menopause is when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.

💜The Stages of Menopause

There are various stages of menopause, women reach menopause in their 40s or 50s, but some woman can go through the menopause in their 30’s & in some medical cases younger. The average UK age is 51.

💜The stages in a woman’s life are as follows:

🦋Premenopause - Premenopause is the time before any menopausal symptoms occur. Women still have periods, whether they are regular or irregular. Women are also still in their reproductive years. While hormonal changes may be occurring in the body, there aren’t any evident changes from them. Hormonal changes may begin 8 to 10 years before menopause actually occurs, often in a woman’s 40s, but it can begin in the 30s as well. This is why it is good to start checking your hormones around the age of 35 & 45.

🦋Perimenopause - Perimenopause means “around or near menopause.” During this stage, women begin to experience symptoms of hormonal changes. The average length of the perimenopause stage is about four years. For some, it may only last a few months, and others, it may go beyond the four years. During this time, it is still possible to become pregnant.

🦋Menopause - Menopause occurs when a woman no longer gets a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. This is when the ovaries have stopped producing eggs and have also stopped producing most of their estrogen.

🦋Postmenopause - If it has been over a year since a woman’s last menstrual cycle, she is then in the postmenopause stage. She will continue to be in this stage for the remainder of her life.

🦋Symptoms or challenges of the perimenopause stage can be very similar to the symptoms or challenges of menopause or postmenopause.

💜Symptoms of the menopause

Most women will experience menopausal symptoms. Some of these can be quite severe and have a significant impact on your everyday activities.

Common symptoms include:

💜hot flushes

💜night sweats

💜vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex

💜difficulty sleeping

💜low mood or anxiety

💜reduced sex drive (libido)

💜problems with memory and concentration

💜Menopausal symptoms can begin months or even years before your periods stop and last around four years after your last period, although some women experience them for much longer.

💜What causes the menopause?

The menopause is caused by a change in the balance of the body's sex hormones, which occurs as you get older.

💜It happens when your ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone oestrogen and no longer release an egg each month. Premature or early menopause can occur at any age, and in many cases, there's no clear cause.

💜Sometimes it's caused by a treatment such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy), some breast cancer treatments, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, treatment for Endometriosis or it can be brought on by an underlying medical condition, such as Down's syndrome or Addison's disease.

💜How Can Aromatherapy Help with Menopause?.

Certain essential oils may help to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the menopause. Potential essential oils include:

🦋Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)

🦋Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

🦋Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

🦋Cypress Cupressus sempervirens)

🦋Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

🦋Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

🦋Neroli (Citrus aurantium var amara flos)

🦋Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)

🚨Saftey: Always contact a qualified Aromatherapist who will guide you on the oils that are suitable for your individual needs. I can help you in this journey & make products to help ease symptoms. Also consult your GP if your symptoms are becoming bothersome and effecting your everyday life.

❤️Please note many menopause symptoms could also be underlying health conditions or medical conditions so please consult your GP or healthcare provider for advice.

Information provided is from my training & for educational purposes only.

Your Complementary Therapist Cat x