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The menopause, or climacteric, is the period in a woman's life when menstruation ceases, corresponding to the end of her fertile age; the term derives from the Greek "μήν", month and "παῦσις", cessation.
The confusion and the 'mystique'—borrowing from Betty Friedan—associated with this period in a woman's life start from its definition. In the common conception, menopause is often identified with the last menstrual cycle: in reality, the term marks a period of time that ends one year after the last menstruation, after which the woman enters the post-menopause phase. The period characterized by a substantial decrease in menstrual flow, irregularities in cycles, and the appearance of the first symptoms such as joint pain, hot flashes, and insomnia, is instead called perimenopause.
Menopause generally involves women between 45 and 53 years old, and occurs when the ovarian cycle is exhausted. During perimenopause and menopause, the production of ovarian follicles ends, and the levels of production of sex hormones by the ovaries vary: estrogen production decreases by 90% while progesterone production ends.
These hormonal variations and irregularities accompany the woman throughout the period leading to menopause and are responsible for the symptoms that mark this natural process and make it frightening, negative, and problematic for many. Feelings of anguish and fear are linked to the unpredictability of menopause and its functional manifestations: women experience menopause at different ages, and the severity of symptoms depends both on the speed at which estrogen production declines, the hormones responsible for the health of the female reproductive organ, and on the state of health of the body and how ready it is to face the period of change. The duration of the complete menopause process varies, ranging from 6 to 13 years: this means that a woman may continue to experience symptoms even in post-menopause. It is understandable, therefore, how such a prolongation of this process, with the problems it entails, can be tiring and cause great discomfort in women.
It must be said, however, that although the much-feared symptoms of menopause are certainly due to the ongoing hormonal alterations, which produce different reactions in women, very often the discomfort, the feeling of stress, fatigue, and anguish that accompany the pre, post, and menopausal period are also attributable to the strong psychological and metaphorical significance that this moment assumes for the woman.
In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir wrote: "From puberty to menopause, woman is the site of a story that unfolds within her and does not concern her personally." The process of "alienation" from the body is often experienced by women, who go through the natural phases and cycles of their lives with feelings of disgust, anxiety, and shame due to the imagery surrounding them, which often leads them to suffer in silence and have difficulty discussing the changes in their bodies.
Throughout life, a woman's body undergoes constant changes and experiences processes and cycles that are not only biological, but also embedded in culture and history, shaping what a woman is in the world. It is this concept that responds to the view of the exodus from fertility, and therefore menopause, which marks the end of menstruation but also, for many women, the end of being a woman.
In the past, due to the brevity of average life expectancy, menopause represented a sort of final turning point for women, a metaphorical "end" of life, hence feared and filled with apprehension. Barbara Duden, a historian of women's bodies, recounts how in the 1700s women were terrified of internal stagnation, and therefore of a lack of menstruation, which for them was associated with death: today, there is a similar connotation of life and death regarding the presence and absence of menstrual flow. The stigma associated with menopause is a product of the legacy of a society in which a woman's value has often been solely associated with her ability to procreate and care for children: consequently, the departure from the fertile period, which often coincides with grown children leaving the family, loads menopause for many women with negative meanings and emotions, which only serve to exacerbate the so-called "symptoms" that are sometimes simply manifestations of natural aging processes.
Many women, consciously or unconsciously tied to this view of themselves and their bodies, see menopause as a twilight of life, forgetting that after this phase a period often as long as the one before it opens up, in which the female mind and body are still able to be active, work, travel, fully experience life and the opportunities it offers without barriers or inhibitions, without physical and psychological limitations or constraints.
As Simone De Beauvoir said, anatomy should not dictate a woman's path, who can instead achieve emancipation from her own body: she even spoke of menopause as a third sex, an opportunity for a woman to return to herself and detach from her biological "role," achieving a new balance and psychophysical vigor, a new "physiological autonomy."
In Chinese medicine, for example, menopause is called the "second spring," and seen not as a painful, feared, and unwanted moment, but as an opportunity to acquire a new balance and regain one's energies, which over time are no longer sufficient to sustain fertility. Menopause therefore represents a wonderful period for women, in which they can explore and better understand their feminine power.
Due to the solemnity with which this moment is charged, however, many women become apprehensive as soon as they show the first signs of menopause, even when they do not have symptoms, and want to undergo certain treatments, as if it were a disease, not realizing that many of the disturbances are actually due to stress and fatigue leading up to that moment. The female body is actually perfectly equipped to face menopause without problems, as demonstrated by the fact that not all women reach it with hot flashes, osteoporosis, or insomnia, and how variable and diverse the symptoms are from woman to woman.
Some women, for example, resort to hormone replacement therapy, a treatment that, however, carries the risk of serious side effects. It becomes much more important to take care of one's body through a series of precautions that will allow women to approach menopause prepared, and to transition beyond this period naturally and serenely, without severe symptoms.
There are some natural remedies, plants, and herbal supplements that, just like hormone therapy, can help treat menopausal symptoms, but to prevent their onset it is necessary to take action early in preventive activities, taking care of one's diet, stress levels, and integrating herbs and adaptogens essential to restore the body's balance during such a period of change.
But what are the symptoms that an unprepared body faces during menopause? Let's discover their characteristics and causes in the next paragraph.
As we have already highlighted, menopausal symptoms are often not direct consequences of menopause itself, but part of the normal aging process, resulting from an unbalanced lifestyle, a stressful life, and an unhealthy diet conducted at a younger age, as well as the psychological conditioning that the onset of menopause exerts on women, factors that, combined, contribute to making the symptoms unbearable.
Leading a hectic, multi-tasking life, following an unbalanced diet, lead many women to find themselves with adrenal gland fatigue. We know that during menopause estrogen and progesterone levels drop abruptly, as the ovaries stop producing them. These hormones are also produced in other parts of the body, such as the adrenal glands, which, if stressed (as when one has not taken care of their body), produce more stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, and fewer sex hormones, causing hormonal imbalances responsible for many of the symptoms associated with menopause.
It is reported that women who reach the age of 50 having led a calm, healthy life, with low levels of cortisol and adrenaline, having exercised and nourished the body with the necessary nutrients for its sustenance, face menopause relatively problem-free.
What are the main symptoms of menopause, and what specifically causes them?
Many of the listed symptoms are therefore due to the chronic weakness and lack of energy of the perimenopausal years, caused by nutritional and emotional depletion, stress, and fatigue, which affect the adrenal glands, which will thus need hormonal, spiritual, and nutritional support to restore endocrine balance.
To counteract the functional manifestations of menopause, it is important to follow - during this period but possibly even before - a preventive plan that covers all areas of life, from the physical to the psychological sphere, supporting the body, adrenal glands, and estrogen production.
It is the sum of an unhealthy lifestyle, an unhealthy diet, an excess of negative thoughts, and agitation about this period of life that often make menopausal symptoms so unbearable, and it is therefore important to address these aspects in the preceding period, and while facing it, in order to reduce the onset of the most common disorders.
As we mentioned when talking about candida, even in the case of menopause, having a healthy diet is one of the main precautions to prevent the onset of symptoms. Taking care of your diet by incorporating fruits, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, high-quality proteins, and avoiding fatty, sugary, and high-calorie foods, will help fight weight changes, problems related to the cardiovascular system, hot flashes, and mood swings.
It is also important, during this period, to consume estrogenic foods and foods rich in natural progesterone, sources of weaker estrogens compared to those offered by hormone therapy: soy, flax seeds, damiana, chaste tree, and black cohosh are all products that help support the body during menopause. Supporting the adrenal glands are adaptogens: from maca, horsetail, to licorice, these contribute to restoring hormonal balance and supporting the body against menopausal stressors.
Before and during menopause, a light and healthy physical activity should become a habit, aimed not only at keeping the body healthy but also at reconciling the physical and mental spheres. It is important, during this period, to take care of your body and spirit, preferring long walks outdoors in nature, light physical activities suitable for your body, pilates, yoga, and meditation.
Meditation can be a great help: it helps to relax your mood and thus counteract sleep disturbances, mood swings, and symptoms related to stress and agitation such as hot flashes.
Nature provides us with a series of plants and herbs, which taken in the form of herbal teas, essential oils, integrated into the diet, or applied externally can be valid natural remedies for the most annoying symptoms of menopause, as well as an alternative to hormone therapy.
There are indeed different estrogenic and progestin plants, which can offer important phytohormones to the body against the functional manifestations of menopause and perimenopause. Certain symptoms are, as we have seen, related to the pituitary hormone, while others are dependent on the decrease in estrogen and can be alleviated with plants with phytoestrogenic action such as sage, mint, marigold, and ashwagandha, and progestin plants such as black cohosh, chaste tree, and damiana.
For issues related to demineralization, such as osteoporosis or hair weakening, it could be useful to integrate vitamins, omega-3, and minerals like calcium and magnesium into your diet through soy, flax seeds, and fenugreek.
It is very important to mention the role of adaptogens, among the most important natural remedies for menopause: supporting the immune system and adrenal glands, they help the body adapt to the stress of menopause and increase its resistance to various types of stressors.
There are also natural muscle relaxants, such as lavender essential oil or valerian, or bitter orange essential oil, which can be used in diffusion to relieve stress, promote relaxation in the body, and alleviate depression.
Let's discover the virtues of each individual plant better, and the importance of each in supporting the body during the prevention and menopause period.
Black cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa, is one of the herbs most often associated with relieving menopausal symptoms, and is therefore also known as the "women's herb". Black cohosh extract is indeed endowed with estrogenic activity, meaning it increases estrogen levels, but with a non-hormonal mechanism: it is indicated not only for menopausal disorders, such as hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, and sweating, but also for menstrual disorders. Black cohosh is believed to be able to interrupt the secretion of luteinizing hormone and counteract bone demineralization. It can be used in the form of mother tincture, or powdered rhizomes and roots, and is particularly recommended for those who have contraindications related to estrogen intake.
Chaste tree, Vitex Agnus Castus, is a very interesting plant in relation to menopause. It is a black berry from which chaste tree mother tincture is obtained, an extract capable of acting in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, inhibiting the production of prolactin and regulating blood levels of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates progesterone synthesis. The mechanisms capable of causing this effect are not clear, but the endocrine properties of this plant are widely recognized, which in ancient times was known as the 'chastity tree' and believed to be responsible for inhibiting libido. Chaste tree mother tincture is available on Terza Luna.
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Fenugreek is an herbaceous plant whose seeds are often ground into powder and used as a natural supplement for a diet rich in minerals and vitamins. Due to its remineralizing properties, fenugreek is an excellent ally in menopause, especially in preventing associated symptoms and issues such as osteoporosis and bone demineralization. Its properties also extend to regulating hormonal imbalances of menopause, thanks to the content of phytoestrogens, which, like black cohosh and chaste tree, make fenugreek an ally in estrogen production. Organic fenugreek of the highest quality is available on Terza Luna.
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Soy is a food that is increasingly infiltrating the Mediterranean diet, and represents an excellent ingredient to include in one's diet both for prevention and during the menopausal period, as it is an estrogenic ingredient. As we have emphasized, diet is a very important factor with a great influence on menopausal symptoms, so following a balanced diet rich in natural estrogen sources like soy can be an important factor in modulating and alleviating the discomforts of this period. Foods rich in phytoestrogens are often recommended for those who cannot undergo hormone replacement therapy, as the structure and mechanism of action of these natural estrogens is very similar to that of human estrogens, but their effect is milder and does not cause side effects related to synthetic hormones.
Melissa and passionflower are two very important plants for relaxation and mood improvement. Their leaves and flowers are used, alone or in combination, to prepare an infusion or extract. During menopause, a period often filled with negative feelings, apprehension, accompanied by fatigue, tension, and insomnia, relaxing and anti-stress plants are a valuable aid to help support mental well-being, relax body and mind, and regulate mood and stress levels. At Terza Luna you can find Melissa essential oil or melissa cut tea and passionflower leaves.
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St. John's Wort is a plant widely used in herbal medicine to prepare herbal teas and infusions that help restore psychophysical well-being, as it is considered an excellent antidepressant. During menopause, herbal teas based on St. John's Wort can be an important support to restore mood, regulate sleep, improve psychophysical well-being, and counteract the states of depression associated with this stage of life, caused by psychological pressure and ongoing physical disturbances and changes. Some experimental studies indicate St. John's Wort as beneficial for alleviating and reducing hot flashes, although this property is not sufficiently proven as the antidepressant activity is. It can be taken as a tea or as St. John's Wort mother tincture.
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Sage is a phytoestrogenic plant, as well as one of the most well-known extracts to counteract menopausal symptoms. Thanks to its tonic and antioxidant properties, sage is useful for preparing sage tea or invigorating infusions that help face the day better and counteract mental and physical fatigue. Sage is also beneficial for regulating sweating, thus helping to combat hot flashes and restlessness at night. Sage essential oil can be used to prepare ovules with coconut oil to combat vaginal dryness in the evening.
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Similar to sage, damiana is also a useful plant in menopause as a well-known tonic that can be used in the preparation of beneficial teas and infusions for the mind and body. Damiana is a progestin plant, which does not provide estrogen but helps to supplement progesterone - which is no longer produced with menopause - and to regulate hormonal balance. Not surprisingly, this plant is considered an aphrodisiac and is also recommended to stimulate libido and improve the sexual experience in menopause and perimenopause. On Terza Luna, you can find damiana in cut tea.
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Green tea is known for its numerous benefits, consumed for centuries for its antioxidant, moisturizing, and digestive properties. Even in menopause, green tea can help the body maintain balance and counteract issues resulting from the decrease in female hormones: it is an activator of metabolism, rich in polyphenols and bioflavonoids with important antioxidant action, which promotes cell regeneration and protection, acts against aging, and helps to rid the body of toxins, aiding against water retention. Furthermore, thanks to the presence of L-theanine, an important amino acid found only in tea, green tea also has a significant effect on psychophysical well-being, helping to reduce stress and induce relaxation. Check out the section on green teas and choose from dozens of varieties from around the world.
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One of the problems that often accompanies menopause is that of osteoporosis. For this reason, especially from a preventive perspective, to prevent the early onset of bone loss during menopause, taking horsetail can represent an effective natural remedy for a mineral intake. This plant has a very high concentration of organic silicon, which stimulates calcium metabolism and collagen synthesis, helping to strengthen bones. Horsetail is also a diuretic, and helps to counteract the problems of water retention that often accompany the menopausal period. It can be taken infused in a tea with beneficial properties. On Terza Luna you can find the cut horsetail tea, ready for infusion.
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Dioscorea is considered a very feminine plant, and therefore optimal for alleviating the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, as well as menstrual cycle disorders. It is a plant native to South America, rich in saponins - in particular diosgenin - which serve as regulators of female hormones, as well as having antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. Dioscorea is, like chaste tree, a progestin plant, and acts on the endocrine system in a similar way to the hormone progesterone. Like other progestin plants, it is therefore considered a useful substitute for hormone therapy. Dioscorea is taken and used in various ways, from supplements to creams and ointments, and has also shown an action in maintaining a healthy weight threatened by hormonal imbalances.
The essential oil of verbena, Verbena officinalis, can be used during pre-menopause and menopause to calm states of stress, agitation, and anxiety that often accompany this delicate period, exacerbated by the hectic lifestyle and psychological burden that menopause often exerts on women. By using a room diffuser, it can be diffused in the house before going to sleep, to counteract sleep disturbances and relax body and mind.
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We have often celebrated maca as one of the most functional adaptogens for psychophysical balance: this important plant helps the body cope with stress, and proves to be an important ally for menopause thanks to the substances it contains, which stimulate the pituitary and hypothalamus and support the adrenal glands, preventing exhaustion and the resulting fatigue syndrome, and contributing to hormonal regulation: for example, if estrogen levels are excessive, maca increases progesterone levels, restoring balance. Maca is useful in supporting the endocrine system, and counteracts hot flashes caused by hormonal fluctuations. It also combats fatigue, mood swings, irritability, and increases libido and sexual desire. Taking maca preventively can be an excellent habit to prepare for the arrival of menopause to be experienced with more tranquility and fewer issues. On Terza Luna you can purchase maca powder.
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We have often talked about the properties of bearberry, one of the best natural remedies against cystitis. This extraordinary plant is useful in combating urinary tract problems even during menopause, contributing to the drainage process of fluids and protecting the system from changes in pH, bacteria, and infections. Bearberry can be taken in tea form: among its properties in favor of alleviating menopausal symptoms, this plant is also important in combating the thinning of the endometrial wall, as well as vaginal dryness.
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Flax seeds are considered an excellent ingredient to add to your diet during menopause to counteract some effects, such as hot flashes, hair weakening, and dryness. Many consider them as effective as hormone replacement therapy, with the added value of having an optimal content of omega-3 - beneficial for the brain - as well as no side effects.
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Licorice is often recommended as a natural supplement to alleviate menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes, as well as osteoporosis - thanks to its apparent benefits on the skeleton. In addition, licorice is an excellent natural remedy to support the adrenal glands, which also experience the effects, particularly stress, of the menopausal period. Licorice is able to provide cortisol thanks to the plant hormones contained within it: if the levels of cortisol in the blood are very low due to a poor production by the adrenal glands, licorice teas can be taken for support. At Terza Luna, you can find cut licorice tea and licorice sticks.
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