Acupunture and Perimenopause

First, let's be clear about this: menopause is not a disease, it's a natural part of life. The end of menstruation and fertility is as natural and healthy at the beginning, although the associated symptoms and implications may not be comfortable.

Perimenopause, which is a pattern of hormonal imbalance that preceeds menopause, often slips by unnoticed, especially if a woman is healthy. During perimenopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone rise and fall unevenly causing a variety of physical and emotional disturbances.

According to the Mayo Clinic, perimenopause lasts between 2 to 8 years, but woman's health guru Dr. Christine Northrup asserts that it is a six to 13 year process that begins in a woman's 30s or 40s. Symptoms of perimenopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Breast tenderness
• Worsening of PMS
• Fatigue
• Irregular periods
• Spotting after intercourse
• Vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse
• Urinanry leakage or urgency
• Mood swings
• Difficulty sleeping

Although perimenopause signals a shift away from fertility, you can still become pregnant during perimenopause. It's just that the process will be more difficult than you were lead to believe in high school health class.

Western medical doctors cope with symptoms of perimenopause by prescribing a low-dose birth control pill. In addition, all medical authorities seem united on these three lifestyle tips: good nutrition, regular exercise, and stress reduction.

What can acupuncture do? First and foremost, acupuncture relieves stress. When your body is under stress, your endocrine system shifts its emphasis away from your reproductive system, which can speed up the process of perimenopause. Additional risk factors for early onset of perimenopause include childhood cancer treatment and never delivering a baby.

Herbal medicine balances your hormones the same way a low dose of birth control pills can, but better. Chinese herbs provide the building blocks for hormones, rather than supplementing your body with the hormones you are lacking.

Why is it better to give your body the building blocks rather than the completed hormones? Because your endorcrine system works on a negative feedback system. This means that if your body senses a certain level of estrogen, it will stop producing estrogen to avoid an excess of that hormone. If you supplement with hormones, your body produces less.

In the end, both the low dose birth control pills and Chinese herbs will control the symptoms, and it's up to the patient which they would rather take. Factors that will affect this decision include whether or not the patient is trying to get pregnant, severity of symptoms, ability to incorporate treatment into a busy lifestyle... the list goes on and on.

Whatever treatment you chose, know that there are solutions out there, and it is possible to get relief from symptoms of perimenopause. Start by taking really good care of yourself - getting regular exercise, eating well and reducing stress - and the rest will follow.