Hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, mood swings, pelvic pain, lower back pain, urine leakage, pain with intimacy. What do they have in common? MENOPAUSE
It goes by many names – Reversed puberty, The Change, Second Spring – otherwise known as Menopause
As we move through the month of love, we are focusing on women’s health. One topic that we hear often with our team of women health experts is menopause and how to ease its symptoms without the use of medication. For some many women, menopause is a dreaded word and often a time period in their lives that is misunderstood and feared. It doesn’t need to be that way. Your body is going through some major changes and even though the unknown can be uneasy, There is hope! – We understand your concerns and We can help –
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can help ease many of the most common concerns during both menopause and perimenopause naturally without the need for medication.
What is Perimenopause and Menopause?
Perimenopause means around menopause and refers to the time where your body begins the end of the reproductive years and transitions into menopause. It can start anywhere in the age range of 30s to the 50s. The length of time it lasts varies greatly. Common signs of perimenopause are irregular periods, mood changes and hot flashes.
Menopause occurs when you have 12 consecutive months with no periods. It is defined as the stage when the ovaries completely stop producing reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone). Also levels of the hormone, testosterone, begin to decline. Typically this occurs naturally between the ages of 45-55 in most women although some women can also experience early menopause due to the removal of all or partial reproductive organs such as during a hysterectomy.
Common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause
As listed above, common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause include;
- Hot flashes
- Weight gain
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
But did you know that you could also be experiencing one or more of these additional menopause-related issues?:
Click on the following links to learn more about how Balance Within Physical Therapy can assist you in these areas.
- Pelvic pain and pain with intimacy
- Back pain (Click here for a free back pain report)
- Urine leakage
- Prolapse
The decrease in hormone levels is a common cause with these symptoms. As these hormone levels decrease, you get a weakening or atrophy of your muscles throughout your body. This includes your pelvic floor muscles. Lubrication of your joints and muscles also declines during this time period because of the decrease in hormone production. This results in pelvic floor muscles that are weak, stretched and/or tight and ‘dried out’. When your pelvic floor is weak and ‘dried out’ it is not healthy, comfortable or strong. Weak muscles will tend to ‘lock up’ or tighten up to compensate for this weakness, often causing lots of pain. Frustrating, painful and inconvenient issues can develop from a pelvic floor that is not healthy or as strong as needed. These can include urine incontinence, pain with intercourse, lower back, hip or pelvis pain, more frequent trips to the bathroom and an increased risk of prolapse.
In the following video, Dr. Megan discusses your pelvic floor and Menopause and How Physical Therapy can help:
The Good News - There Are Natural Solutions to Menopause Symptoms with Specialized Physical Therapy
Aging gracefully does not mean you have to live with the worry of dribbles or intimacy pain with your partner or lower back pain. Oftentimes, the only solution presented to women is medication to address these concerns. This can lead to more anxiety and worry regarding possible side effects both short term and long term.
How Physical Therapy Helps Menopause Symptoms and Problems
Physical Therapy can help without the added expense of medication and the worry over harmful side effects. We have helped hundreds of women overcome their menopausal concerns without needing medication with the help of pelvic floor physical therapy.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can help ease these issues naturally without the need for medication. Our expert team of women health physical therapists meet with you to discuss your concerns and your goals. They will then conduct a pelvic floor assessment. This assessment will look at your overall health and assess your pelvic region. Our expert hands on approach will result in a custom treatment plan to address your needs and concerns.
Most women are surprised that Physical Therapy can be helpful for these conditions. It’s really a shame this isn’t talked about more. Imagine all the things our patients could enjoy in their lives without these annoying problems… no pads, worrying about leaking, planning their lives around the nearest bathroom, worrying about pain with intimacy with their partner, struggling with annoying hip/back/pelvic pain that limits their ability to be active… Instead, just enjoying life and not worrying about any of these things.
You do not need to suffer with worry or anxiety over growing older. As our bodies age, change happens and our team of expert physical therapists can assist with helping these changes occur naturally in a holistic manner providing you with a calming relief as you journey into the next phase of womanhood
And the good news is that we have a ton of success resolving these issues with natural treatments… No surgeries, pain meds or pads which just treat the symptoms! Just highly specialized Physical Therapy to address the ROOT CAUSE of the problem.
For more information on how physical therapy can help you through your menopausal journey, click here to talk with one of our expert women’s health specialists.
FREE UPCOMING WOMEN’S HEALTH WORKSHOP:
We are also hosting a FREE Women’s Health Workshop at Good Harvest Market on February 28th from 5:30-7:00 PM. This workshop, Building a Better Core from the Pelvic Floor Up, will address many of these issues and provide you with tips to try at home to help ease many of your menopausal symptoms. Click here to sign up for our FREE Women’s Health Workshop.
