Menopause. A fresh perspective….

Menopause, the natural progression of a womans life cycle. You are graduating from the reproductive years. You have done your part, you have given emotionally and some of you physically bearing children, and most likely you have prioritised everyone but yourself. Now is the time that your body is calling for you. It’s calling for you to bring your attention from everything and everyone else to YOU. You and her (your body). At this stage of life it’s natural that many women have gotten so used to giving their focus and attention elsewhere. It’s become almost a habit. For many women, to give more of that focus and attention to themselves feels unnatural. Guilt starts to hit in, a sense of duty to others which by now is engrained in your being. Can’t deal with these changes because I’m busy! Busy with work, home, family, the kids, this project, that event…..And so the body starts to call. Hello, I’m here! If ignored the calls become louder….Helloooooo!! Listen to me!

 Have you ever wondered why some women are more affected by menopause than others? There are some women who have barely feel it. Their sleep isn’t affected, moods are fine, no hot flushes, energy still good. While some get hit with every symptom going. The body aches, sleepless nights, a daily emotional rollercoaster. And the body continues to call……..

For many women there’s a fear, a dread or sadness even associated with menopause. Let’s be honest it’s not had the best publicity. Society and media really haven’t done it many favours. Also not helped by the fact that the main thing we hear about is the worst of it. I find it interesting the way pregnancy is depicted in society as a beautiful, enlightening experience with little spoken about regarding the intense physical and emotional impact. So much so that many of my pregnant patients come in ashamed that they really aren’t enjoying it and want it over with. Some even upset by the ‘false claims’…Yet all that seems to be highlighted with menopause are the negative physical/emotional impacts. It’s no wonder so many women start to panic at the thought of it.

I like to think of menopause as the big event all the years previously have been building up to. The years before it were our training. We had our menstrual cycles teaching us our monthly rhythms with our bleeds there to help us keep track. Our bodies sync with the moons cycles. A monthly rhythm. Energy gradually increases and slowly dips till we bleed and the cycle repeats. At which stage of your cycle does your energy peak? When is your energy at it’s lowest? Our moods and emotions ebbs and flows in the cycle…how are yours affected? Signals from the body, a headache, a tummy cramp, a reminder of where we are in our monthly cycle. This is your training. Are you paying attention? What does you body need at each stage of her monthly cycle? Does she need more exercise or movement? Are you feeding her the right foods, or maybe she’s doing too much and needs more rest? Are you keeping her strong? Are you being kind to her? Are you being creative and having fun together?  Are you listening to her? Or is it too inconvenient? Is she not important enough? Is she not your priority? Have you quieted her prompts? Maybe with a patch/coil/tablet so she doesn’t disturb you? The prompts will still be there if you pay attention.

The main event arrives…The body says, ok..enough training. The bleeds become less frequent…you’ve got this. She’s easing you into it. Are you listening to her? The bleeds stop but the cycle continues….You are still in sync with the moon. Energy dips and rises as does emotions as before….except now it’s much more intense. A deeper new found sensitivity and intuition about everything. I imagine it to be a bit like a superhero discovering their super powers. You are now more connected to her than ever before. She will guide you…For those of you who have been taking good care of her, for those of her who have been listening…this journey will be an easier one maybe even enjoyable and empowering. For those who haven’t it’s time to make up for it. She will keep calling until you do. 

And lastly, many take menopause for granted as something we all ‘have to go through’. In reality, not every woman gets to experience this transition…some skip it completely. My grandmother had a hysterectomy before it happened,, my mother cancer treatment before it happened…For me, it will be a blessing and honour to be the first in a line of 3 generations to experience menopause….if I’m lucky enough to get to. 

The transition of menopause and beyond is referred to by some as ‘The Wise Woman Years’. It’s not the end but the beginning of another beautiful journey. My advice as a practitioner is to make the time to connect to your body, understand your cycles, get familiar with the signals your body gives you. Look after her, care for her because she’s with you for life. Keep her strong and happy and trust that she will guide and support you through the natural progression of a womens life cycle we call menopause.

Ayshe is the Principle Osteopath at The Backbone Osteopathy Clinics in North London, Southgate N14. 

Ayshe has certificates in Osteopathy for Womens Health and Womens Health Yoga therapy. To Book an Appointment Click Here…