Although menopause is a transition that happens for all women, it remains a mystery for many. This is partly because the transition is not always black and white. Some women experience its obvious signs and symptoms, while others don’t.
Some women can have symptoms that come and go or appear to be other conditions. Because of the number of changes that can occur during this life phase, making sense of menopause can be difficult – but it doesn’t have to be. The first step in understanding menopause is to learn what it is and what it isn’t. Here are eight common questions, and their answers, related to menopause.
Perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause – what are they and what are the differences?
Menopause is the end of ovulation and menstrual cycles. To be menopausal, a woman will not have had a period for 12 months – although it’s common to refer to symptoms that occur closely before or after this time as “menopause symptoms.”
Perimenopause is the circumstance that can be most confusing. For some women, menopause is a relatively seamless and quick transition. One month they have a period, and the next month they don’t and never do again. For other women this process can take 8-10 years, being a slow decline in reproductive function, accompanied by fitful stops and starts.
During perimenopause a woman will still have cycles, although her periods can be increasingly less regular, and she can still become pregnant. Perimenopause can even start when a women is in her late 30s – and can be harder to diagnose when it starts this early. Eventually, however, women in perimenopause will stop ovulating and reach full menopause.
Postmenopause is the remainder of a woman’s life after her menopausal transition is complete and the acute symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, have declined or vanished.
What about induced menopause and premature menopause? Are those the same?
If a woman has her ovaries removed before natural menopause occurs, then this will cause the abrupt onset of menopause because ovulation and menstruation are stopped immediately. Likewise, some drugs and medical treatments (especially chemotherapy or radiation) can lead to ovarian failure and the onset of menopause, regardless of age.
Other health conditions, such as prolonged eating disorders and some autoimmune disorders, can also cause menopause to occur much earlier than normal. Regardless of the cause, menopause can have the same symptoms and carry the same health challenges.
When does menopause typically occur?
Perimenopause and menopause have quite a broad range of onset. A typical woman will experience menopause between the ages of 45-55, with 51 being the average. However, the age of onset is not set in stone and many women enter perimenopause in their late 30s while some don’t fully enter menopause until closer to 60.
How can I tell if I am in menopause or perimenopause?
If you have not had a period for a year and there is no other recognized medical cause, then you are probably in menopause. However, because symptoms tend to vary from woman to woman, and because some of the common menopause symptoms can be caused by other health conditions unrelated to menopause, it’s a good idea to test the key hormone levels related to menopause. In addition, your health-care practitioner can help you better understand if you are in perimenopause.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are not universal and every woman will experience symptoms differently. Some women have only a few mild symptoms, while other women experience a range of symptoms over months or years. The symptoms most commonly associated with menopause include:
How to manage hot flashes and other common menopause symptoms?
Thorne Meta-Balance™, a unique botanical blend that contains ingredients like wild yam, black cohosh, and Vitex, is designed to support perimenopausal and menopausal women. The botanicals in Meta-Balance help mitigate common symptoms as hormone production naturally declines. Because it contains the patented ingredient Pycnogenol®, an extract of French maritime pine bark, Meta-Balance can help manage hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep interruptions. The formula is a great choice for women seeking a natural option to mitigating these common symptoms.*
7. Sleep changes: Declining estrogen and progesterone can lead to fragmented sleep, insomnia, night sweats, and reduced deep sleep, often leaving women feeling less rested.
How to address sleep disturbances during perimenopause and menopause?
8. Thorne Deep Sleep Complex may support more restful, restorative sleep for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause by helping ease occasional sleep disturbances. Its targeted blend of nutrients and botanicals can help calm the mind and support a healthy sleep cycle, which may be especially beneficial during times of hormonal transition. By encouraging deeper, more consistent sleep, it may also help women feel more refreshed and resilient during the day.*
Skin changes: As we age, the body’s ability to produce collagen slows down, causing thinner skin, increased dryness, and loss of elasticity that can result in more noticeable wrinkles. Many women also experience changes in skin pigmentation.
How to support collagen production
Thorne Collagen Plus may help support skin elasticity, hydration, and structural integrity, which can be especially beneficial for women experiencing thinning skin, dryness, and loss of firmness during menopause. By providing key building blocks like collagen peptides and supporting plant polyphenols, it may help improve overall skin texture and resilience.
9. Vaginal dryness: Changes in hormones thin the vaginal tissues and reduce natural lubrication. Lower estrogen also decreases blood flow and elasticity in the vaginal lining, leading to dryness, irritation, and discomfort with intercourse.
How to promote natural vaginal moisturizing?
Thorne Women’s Libido Boost may be beneficial for women experiencing vaginal dryness by promoting overall sexual wellness and arousal, enhancing natural lubrication and improving comfort and intimacy.
10. Weight gain: The body’s natural fat storage shifts toward the abdomen and can reduce energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity. Aging-related muscle loss, sleep disruption, and lifestyle factors also contribute by lowering metabolism and making weight maintenance more difficult.
How to promote a healthy metabolic function during menopause?
The ingredients in Thorne Metabolic Health are designed to support insulin sensitivity and balanced energy production. Well-absorbed curcumin and bergamot phytosomes help promote healthy fat metabolism and reducing metabolic stress during hormonal transition.
How can I naturally manage menopause symptoms?
Certain strategies can be taken to naturally minimize the symptoms associated with menopause. For example, eating a healthy and balanced diet – and avoiding foods that trigger symptoms like hot flashes – can be helpful in managing some symptoms of menopause.
Lifestyle changes like regular exercise and participating in stress-relieving activities (such as yoga, meditation, or just setting aside daily quiet time) are good ways to help manage symptoms associated with menopause.
In addition to the benefits that come with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and reducing stress, the use of certain botanical extracts can help with the unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause.
Are there complications associated with menopause?
Although menopause is a natural stage in life, hormonal changes that occur during and after menopause can affect other areas of health, including:
Because these areas of health are also affected by other aspects of the aging process, menopause is a good time to reassess your health and focus on healthy aging habits.
How can I stay healthy after menopause?
As with managing symptoms during menopause, a healthy diet, exercise, and practicing stress management can keep you healthy after menopause. Because nutritional needs change as we age, supplementing with a quality multi-vitamin/mineral formula that supports healthy aging can fill nutritional gaps.
The Menopause Stack by Thorne provides a three-pronged approach to promote a transition through menopause. Meta-Balance, ResveraCel®, and Advanced Bone Support provide synergistic support for changes in hormones and healthy aging.*
Thorne Women’s Multi 50+ provides 23 nutrients in one comprehensive women’s daily multi-vitamin/mineral formula that supports a healthy, active lifestyle. In addition to extra ingredients for bone support, it also features a full complement of important nutrients for support of nerves, skin, eyes, and metabolism.*
Thorne’s Advanced Nutrients, a comprehensive formula that includes key nutrients that provide antioxidant support, also adds select botanicals and nutrients that support energy production and eye health, higher levels of calcium and vitamin D for healthy bone, vitamin K as MK7 for bone and heart health, and much more.*
Depending on your personal concerns with aging, your health-care practitioner can recommend other botanicals or nutrients for maintenance of good health.
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