Open conversations about the start of a teenage woman’s period are beginning to become commonplace. However, many women are just starting to get comfortable talking about our other great hormonal shift – menopause. Taking about the symptoms many women experience during menopause and peri-menopause is important so that women are aware that there are multiple approaches to helping them ease through this transition.

Menopause is when a woman, typically in her late 40’s to early 50’s, has not had a period for at least 12 months. After this 12-month mark, most women have stopped ovulating and are no longer able to get pregnant. Peri-menopause is the transition between having regular periods and menopause. Peri-menopause is often punctuated by irregular cycle lengths, hot flashes, night sweats, reduced sex drive and shifts in mood. These symptoms are often due to changing estrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormone levels. Some women experience few symptoms as they transition into menopause and others continue to experience symptoms post-menopause.

The good news is that we can help ease symptoms associated with your transition through menopause. Diet, lifestyle, stress management, herbal medicine and bioidentical hormone therapy are all approaches we use to support women during this great hormonal shift.