The Stages and Ages of Menopause
Perimenopause is the stage of life before menopause. This is when a woman’s ovulation becomes irregular and hormone changes occur. Many women experience this in their late 30s or mid 40s. Once a women’s menstrual periods have ceased for one continuous year, she is, by definition, officially in menopause. Most women experience this around 50. For me, I noticed my periods becoming irregular (I would go several months without one) around 48. By age 51, my period stopped altogether. I’ve heard the term postmenopausal as the stage of life after the one year of having no periods. Technically, the medical community considers menopause an “event”— that one year mark on the calendar. After that, a woman is postmenopausal, but the symptoms of menopause are often present for many years after that one year event.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Some of the common symptoms of menopause are:
irregular periods
hot flashes
night sweats sleep issues
changing moods
Difficulty with word recall, or brain fog
weight gain
These are just a few of the common side effects of menopause. Every woman is different. My menopause experience started around 49 years old. My periods would happen every other month and gradually became less frequent. From the beginning, I notice hot flashes throughout the day and night sweats every night. As a result, I didn’t sleep well , the discomfort was terrible! I also experienced some mood swings— I would suddenly get angry, but not know why. I also felt an overwhelming sadness, but I couldn’t pinpoint the cause. I would often be speaking and forget a word. Something as simple as “book” or “chair” would escape me. It was terribly embarrassing.
What are the common treatments?
From my own experiences with doctors and gynecologists, I learned a common medical intervention is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT is a drug used to balance hormone levels. It’s considered safe, but it may have side effects. Some women elect to take non-hormonal medications to combat symptoms, such as anti-depressants for mood or Gabapentin for hot flashes. Gabapentin is typically used as a seizure medication, but can also reduce hot flashes. Fezolinetant and Oxybutynin are medication that also treat hot flashes. Since these are synthetic drugs, there is a risk for side effects. There are also over-the-counter supplements. Some women find relief with Black Cohosh for hot flashes.
Intermittent fasting as a treatment for menopause symptoms
When menopause happened for me, hot flashes, night sweats, and weight gain were the symptoms that caused the most discomfort. I remember going to bed with several ice packs attached to my body— that didn’t really help. And some of you may have read my story about the day my pants split at work in front of a classroom of teenagers! I recall many nights waking up in a pool of my own sweat and changing my pajamas two to three times per night. I can’t begin to describe how out of control I felt. It was as if my life had turned upside down. Instead of enjoying my life— family, friends, my work— I was focused on trying to manage my symptoms. The comment treatments I tried didn’t take away my hot flashes or help me sleep. Diet and exercise did nothing to help with the rapid weight gain. I was desperate for relief, but found none.
My last ditch effort was to try intermittent fasting. Often, my hot flashes were triggered right after eating, so I thought I could at least find relief for part of the day. I started intermittent fasting for 20 hours each day with an eating window from 4 PM to 8 PM. I didn’t worry about what I was eating during the eating window— I just focused on not eating or drinking anything that would break my fast. After three days, my hot flashes disappeared, and I begin sleeping through the night. It took several months for my weight to return to what it had been before menopause, but I finally fit into my clothes again— no more splitting pants! I felt like I was back to the former me, enjoying my life again!
Dear Reader, if you are suffering from the symptoms of menopause, and you want to find relief without hormone replacement or other medications, consider intermittent fasting for 20 hours each day. You have nothing to lose— except possibly your symptoms. If it doesn’t work for you, you can always go back to your old ways of eating and try something else. However, this has worked for me and many other women. You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of weird food or supplements. You can still enjoy the foods you love during your eating window. You might have extra time to enjoy life instead of packing your lunch or gulping down breakfast as you run out the door late for work. After a 20 hour fast, food taste incredible! Again, you have nothing to lose except the pain and suffering. If you decide to join me on this fasting journey, please share your experience with me at Jennifer@ pain-freeover50.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Wishing you wellness,
Jennifer Kaye