Who may benefit?

Women that are in one of three stages: Pre-menopause (the reproductive years), Perimenopause and Menopause.

How does it work?

Pre-menopause, peri-menopause, and menopause make up years of a woman’s life – so it’s pretty important to understand what is going on with our body.

Stage 1: Pre-menopause: The Reproductive Years

A woman in her reproductive years ideally should experience a loss of blood only each month during her 28- to 30- day menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, this is not the case for up to 75% of wommen. Most have to deal symptoms of excess harmful estrogen associated with PMS, which can include breast tenderness, anxiety, sleeplessness, headaches, water retention, increased hunger or cravings, fatigue or more troublesome symptoms.

Stage 2: Peri-menopause: The Lead Up to Menopause

Peri-menopause, or menopause transition, begins several years before menopause. It’s the time when the ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen, but it is progesterone that declines first during this stage.  It usually starts in a woman’s 40s but can start in her 30s or even earlier. Peri-menopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last one to two years of peri-menopause, this drop in estrogen speeds up.

At this stage, many women have menopause symptoms. The average length of perimenopause is four years, but for some women, this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Women in peri-menopause have at least some of these symptoms:

• Hot flashes
• Breast tenderness
• Worse premenstrual syndrome
• Lower sex drive
• Fatigue
• Irregular periods (may come too close or further apart)
• Vaginal dryness; discomfort during sex
• Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
• Urinary urgency (an urgent need to urinate more frequently)
• Mood swings
• Trouble sleeping

Stage 3: Menopause

Menstruating women between the ages of 40 and 55 are naturally approaching menopause. Lowered production of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone cause these signs of menopause. Menopause is defined after a period of 12 months without any menses.

Symptoms of menopause may begin suddenly and be very noticeable, or they may be very mild at first. Symptoms may happen most of the time once they begin, or they may happen only once in a while. Some women notice changes in many areas and most of the symptoms are due to a deficiency of estrogen. Some menopausal symptoms, such as moodiness, are similar to symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Others may be new to you. For example:

• Your periods have stopped for at least one year
• You might have hot flashes and problems sleeping
• You might experience mood swings or be irritable
• You might experience vaginal dryness, making sex uncomfortable or painful
• You may have less interest in sex and it may take longer for you to get aroused
• You may experience increased abdominal weight gain – thickening of the waist
• Your skin may thin and change due to the lower estrogen.
• Your memory may change due to lower estrogen – especially for names and items.

Other possible changes are not as noticeable. For example, you might begin to lose bone density because you have less estrogen, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Changing estrogen levels can also raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk for heart disease and stroke and the lowered levels of estrogen and are also linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  

Recommendations for you may include:

1. We will make specific supplement and nutrition recommendations for you based on your current symptoms and body composition goals. For instance, we have specially formulated products to assit with the symtpoms of imbalance of harmful estrogen and inflammation. When combined with the diet and workout philosophies of The Hormone Diet and The Hormone Boost, hormonal balance and symptoms of estrogen dominance and fertility concerns can often be improved often within three to six menstrual cycles. This dietary approach also works to assist in rebalancing cortisol, blood sugars and insulin levels.
2. Adrenal gland support and stress recuperation – as once you are into peri or menopause, your adrenals and your fat cells are the only sources of estrogen, so it is important to support their function and to address adrenal stress or adrenal fatigue.
3. Bioidentical hormone replacement can be used to assist fertility and to reduce symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, headaches, sleep disruption, and to reduce spotting, or other symptoms of any of the three stages.
4. Essential recommend testing including tests such as a cholesterol panel, complete thyroid panel, sex and stress hormone testing, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and more – all of the factors that help you to age well entering menopause.
5. Strength Training is a must here to maintain your bones. Half an hour three times a week is recommended.

What’s included in this program?

Three appointments with a naturopathic doctor, including an initial assessment 60 mins; first follow-up 30 mins (to discuss test results and update your treatment protocol); and third/final appointment 30 to 45 mins (which typically occurs after 6 to 8 weeks of following your personalized prescription).

Your requisition for blood and urine testing will be provided following your first appointment. You will complete this through Dynacare Laboratories and we recommend that you download their App to find the location closest to you and to access their web-check-in service. And since we aim to be thorough in our approach, it means that we most often will suggest follow-up testing to address concerns and imbalances identified in your original series of blood or urine tests. We will guide you on the appropriate time to reassess, which is usually after 4 to 12 weeks of treatment and additional costs apply.

You will be instructed on which day of your cycle these tests should be completed if you are in the pre-menopausal or peri-menopausal phase. For instance, we most often recommend testing on day three for assessing fertility concerns and diagnosing a reduction in estrogen that can occur in perimenopause. We typically recommend going to the lab on day 19 – 21 of your cycle if you are concerned with PMS, progesterone deficiency, or estrogen dominance.

Want more information?

Read more information on Three Stages of Menopause Program here.

See The Marilyn Denis Show discussing how to navigate every stage of menopause here.

Please note:

• If you have extended health benefits, then part or all of the appointments for this program may be reimbursed. We recommend checking with your provider to see what your coverage is prior to the first appointment.
• For patients that are unable to visit the clinic for an in-person appointment and would prefer to do appointments virtually, and live in Ontario, please visit our Clear Medicine Virtual page for more information about services that are offered. **Please note recent bloodwork results may be required.**