MENOPAUSE is defined as the point in a woman’s life when the menstrual period gradually decreases and eventually ceases.
First, let’s acknowledge that, both because of unwelcome symptoms and emotional changes, menopause is not something a woman looks forward to. Commonly known symptoms of perimenopause and menopause include hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping. Such things can be very disruptive, of course, whether they are occasional or frequent.
And symptoms can vary greatly from one woman to another: Some women may experience a wide variety of menopausal symptoms; others, nothing at all.
No two women have exactly the same experience!
Fortunately, Essential Oils are a natural support that can relieve many of the symptoms occurring during menopause.
First, let’s learn a little about menopause itself.
A woman has reached menopause when twelve consecutive months have passed without a menstrual period. Most women begin menopause in their forties or fifties and the average age is fifty-one years. Menopause starting before the age of forty is considered premature while forty to forty-five years is deemed to be early menopause. Some women can experience sudden menopause earlier than forty years due to medical treatment or surgery.
Menopause is a hormonal event whereby fertility declines as the levels of the hormones oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone fluctuate and steadily decrease over months or years.
Menopause has three stages: perimenopause, menopausem, and postmenopause.
Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause and can last anywhere from four to six years. As hormone levels fluctuate, sometimes erratically, periods may be lighter or heavier and can become irregular. Menopausal symptoms can occur during these years and many women experience emotional changes and other effects.
The hormone estrogen acts, not just in the reproductive organs, but in many areas of the body, including the vagina, uterus, skin, bowel, liver, heart, blood, brain, and throughout most of the body. It also helps maintain muscle tone, protects the bones, and supports healthy endometrium (lining of the uterus), cervix, and breast ducts.
Progesterone levels also decrease in perimenopause and this female hormone is only produced when ovulation occurs. This hormone prepares the uterus for pregnancy. It thickens the mucus in the cervix, reduces vaginal acidity, and stimulates milk cells in breast tissue. As ovulation decreases and eventually stops in menopause, progesterone levels dramatically drop.
Testosterone is more commonly known as a male hormone, but it is also an important hormone in women in terms of its role in bone and muscle strength, emotional wellbeing, and female sexual desire and arousal. This hormone decreases gradually with age.
Menopause is twelve months since the last (final) menstrual period and postmenopause is when no periods have occurred for more than twelve months.
HOT FLASHES
Are probably the most well-known symptom of menopause and affect around 80% of women. Generally described as a sudden sensation of heat that can spread throughout the body but is particularly felt in the upper body and face, hot flashes can be accompanied by profuse sweating, reddening of the skin, and, sometimes, nausea, or just an experience of feeling unwell.
Hot flashes can last for a few minutes up to fifteen minutes and can be very uncomfortable and embarrassing, often appearing out of nowhere and for no apparent reason!
It is thought that hot flashes are most likely caused by the effect of declining estrogen levels on the hypothalamus in the brain. This triggers the brain to sense that the body is too hot, so it initiates measures to cool down the body, such as sweating and redness of the skin.
As hot flashes often happen spontaneously and with no particular pattern, it can be helpful to use Essential Oils that can be easily carried around in a bag or purse.
Essential Oils that may be helpful when hot flashes occur include:
PEPPERMINT is a very effective Essential Oil to use when hot flashes occur, and can be used in a multitude of ways. Our company produces a PEPPERMINT oil with a high menthol content, for superior quality and effect. Not only can it have a cooling effect on the body, it can also help to alleviate occasional stomach upset, and promotes healthy respiratory function when taken internally (it has the added benefit of naturally repelling bugs, too!).
PEPPERMINT used topically on the back of the neck and chest is an effective way to help during hot flashes.
BEAT THE HEAT BODY SPRAY RECIPE
• 30 drops Clary Sage
• 30 drops PEPPERMINT
Add to a 4-oz. spray bottle with 2 tbsp. of witch hazel and top off with distilled water. Witch hazel is a natural emulsifier that helps to disperse Essential Oils in water. Apply to back of neck, throat, and chest area when feelings of heat arise. Repeat application in five minutes if needed.
Or another recipe known to support Hot Flashes is
15 drops of Clary Sage
15 drops of Peppermint
10 drops of Frankincense
10 drops of Lavender
Add to a 10ml roller bottle or small spray glass bottle and top up with fractionated coconut oil.
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