By Allison Koch, CNM

How much do you know about the life transition we call Menopause?

Menopause is what is known as a retrospective diagnosis. That means that women are defined as “in menopause” or “menopausal” when they have had no period for a full year. Women may go 10 or 11 months without a period, then have a period. We call that “peri-menopausal.” Once women have achieved Menopause, they are considered Post-Menopausal.

In the USA, the average age of menopause is 51. Despite women’s shorter lifespan throughout history, age 51 has remained the average age of menopause for the past 300 years. Most women will experience some symptoms that make them aware that their bodies are changing, but few women that I have seen in my practice are aware that there are nearly 100 symptoms that may coincide with the menopausal transition.

The hormones involved in the changes of menopause are likely to be estrogens and progesterone, but also could be DHEA, testosterone, or an imbalance in another body system brought on by changing hormones.

Hormones are natural chemicals present in our bodies that interact with each other or with our cells and organs. Hormones exist primarily to regulate processes and keep our body in homeostasis, a state of natural balance. Menopause is a process, frequently taking 10 years or more, designed to change our bodies and prepare us for a lifetime beyond the fertile years!

In perimenopause, most women experience some of the same hormonal symptoms that heralded menarche. Anxiety, emotionality, irregular periods are all normal in young girls approaching puberty. Worsening PMS is often the first symptom noted as we enter the perimenopausal period.  Although our youth-oriented culture doesn’t generally approach the Elder “rites of passage” with as much anticipation as other milestones, there is still cause for celebration (raise a glass of red wine!)

The main focus of my practice at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center is peri-menopause and menopausal care. I am here to guide and support you through the menopausal transition. I want to optimize your experience, your health and your adjustment to the power of a new way of life. Together we will explore the process and your options for managing challenges.

Our mission: Your Life. Your Health. Our Commitment.

Since last September, I have been hosting a recurring workshop titled “The Power of Menopause.” Menopause is one of the Women’s Mysteries, along with menarche, pregnancy and birth. Come celebrate your unique and magical transition (as the midwives do) and learn more about what to expect during this exciting time.

I am overjoyed to be expanding our wellness and women’s primary care offerings with a focus on the wonder years (“I wonder where I put my keys…”)

The great anthropologist Margaret Mead said: “There is no greater creative force in the world than a menopausal woman with zest!”  We wholeheartedly agree!

The Power of Menopause
Women’s Birth & Wellness Center – The Living Room, Suite 304
930 MLK Jr., Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Saturday, September 29, 9 AM-4 PM
Cost: $75

A light meal will be served