My (Unfortunately) Common Menopause Story

One of the problems with managing the symptoms of hormone change, is that we don’t understand them enough to recognise what is happening! When I was first affected by peri-menopausal symptoms (that means the run up to the menopause when your periods actually stop) it was several months before I understood what was happening. I was still having regular periods and so the idea of menopause didn’t occur to me!

The first problem I experienced was acute crushing chest pain followed by head spinning vertigo. This came on one afternoon when I was in the clinic, and I was terrified. The more scared I became the more symptoms developed - I started to suffer with migraines and numbness in my face that lasted several days at a time, and I was suffering with insomnia as well, sometimes for 3-4 day stretches. My confidence to do anything on my own understandably hit rock bottom and my work (which is so important to me) was becoming impossible to manage.

I sought advice from my GP and wow was that disappointing! I was told that panic attacks were causing my symptoms and offered an antidepressant prescription. No tests were offered to check my heart or anything else and I was even told that at 44 there was no point in checking my hormone levels because they would obviously be all over the place. Twice more I saw the GP desperate for help - I was unable to drive, work, or even walk without someone to balance me by this stage. 

I realised that I needed to take control and look for help elsewhere! Luckily, I know great natural health practitioners who were fantastic and with their knowledge and support we realised that peri-menopausal hormone change was the underlying cause of all my symptoms. During the run up to periods stopping, our hormone levels can go up and down like a rollercoaster ride! Oestrogen levels are falling, but progesterone falls faster overall and at some points in the cycle (which can become irregular) there is too much oestrogen in relation to progesterone. It’s complicated and we are all different - so we can never know what to expect!

With the help of adaptogenic herbs that help hormone levels (whether they are too high or low on any given day) and a lot of self-care, I was able to bring my body back to balance and start to feel great again! We have carefully blended those herbs into our capsule blend, so that you too can support your body through these changes and move positively into a new chapter of life!