Menopause
Menopause, the symptoms & how Hypnotherapy can help
The average age to reach Menopause is 51, although it can be much earlier or much later and is marked as 12 months after the final menstrual cycle. Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when hormones start to fluctuate and symptoms can start to show up, which can start as early as 40 in some women. Post menopause is the time after Menopause and beyond when hormone levels are lower but start to settle down.
THE SEVEN DWARFS OF MENOPAUSE. Itchy, Bitchy, Sleepy, Sweaty, Bloated, Forgetful and All Dried Up.
The phrase 'the 7 Dwarfs of Menopause' was coined by Suzanne Somers from her book 'The Sexy Years' and pretty much sums it up, although unfortunately there can be other symptoms too. Some women get all of them, some get none of them and others just a few.
Hypnosis can be really helpful for many menopausal symptoms and as well as helping you cope with the symptoms it can empower you to take charge of your health naturally without side effects. It can also be used alongside HRT if that is the route you decide to take. Hypnosis for Menopause is even recommended by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) as an effective treatment.
Along with a balanced lifestyle, eating a nutritious colorful diet rich in phytonutrients and getting plenty of sunlight for Vitamin D production, we can enhance our wellbeing. Ensuring we get lots of movement and regular exercise keeps the body supple and our bones and muscles strong. Reducing stress and sometimes supplementing with safe herbal remedies and vitamins etc. can also help you cope. Whether you decide to take HRT or not, by living a healthy life you can feel much better and maybe even better than you've felt before!
Refs.
Hypnotherapy to Reduce Hot Flashes: Examination of Response Expectancies as a Mediator of Outcomes (Sliwinski, Jim & Elkins, Gary. 2017)
Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Menopause (Alisa Johnson, Lynae Roberts, Gary Elkins, 2019)
Clinical hypnosis in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flashes: a randomized controlled trial (Elkins, G, Fisher, WI, Johnson, AK et al 2012)
(PDF) Self-Hypnosis for Sleep Disturbances in Menopausal Women (researchgate.net)
A hypnosis intervention reduces anxiety among postmenopausal women with hot flashes : results from a randomized controlled trial. (tdl.org) Roberts, R. (2018). Baylor University thesis.
Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy and Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Women: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial (researchgate.net) Johnson, AK, Johnson AJ, Barton D et al (2016).