Menopause

Menopause is a natural transition and happens for every woman. It is preceded by peri-menopause, which is when the hormones begin to fluctuate and/or decline.  Officially, menopause, or post-menopause, describes women who have not experienced any menstrual flow for a minimum of one year, and whose ovaries have become inactive.

When a woman enters menopause. the hormones related to child-bearing have diminished. However, there is still a vital, health-enhancing role for her reproductive hormones that now has nothing to do with reproduction and everything to do with maintaining good, overall health. 

This change is perfectly normal and a healthy body will constantly adjust to the changes. However, in today’s environment, a number of factors can change the body’s ability to adapt to change, including environmental toxins, poor nutrition, a lack of essential minerals and the stress of juggling work and family life.

A woman’s reproductive hormone levels continue to drop and fluctuate for some time into postmenopause.  These symptoms  may take several years to resolve. Symptoms are similar to those leading up to menopause, but with more consistency in:

Hot flushes and night sweats

Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)

Changes in mood, such as feeling tired, irritable, depressed or anxious

Difficulty concentrating or poor memory

Changes to the vagina, such as thinning, dryness, discomfort, itching and painful or uncomfortable intercourse

Loss of interest in sex (loss of libido)

Urinary problems – such as recurrent urinary tract infections, loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)

Joint aches and pains. 

As a woman moves through each phase of menopause, hormone levels can fluctuate significantly. However, vital hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone remain important for bones, vaginal and urethral health, skin, brain function as well as cardiovascular health. It is therefore important to effectively balance and replenish these hormones in order to maintain a woman’s health, energy, mood and brain function.

At Fulcrum. we conduct a thorough medical history combined with appropriate testing thus enabling us to identify when symptoms began as well as the severity of hormonal imbalance.  We can then develop an individualized treatment plan.

One size does not fit all!  As every woman is unique, so are her hormones. Every woman has her ‘own’ menopause and thus every hormone replacement therapy is specifically designed for her.