Page 30 - May 2024

Understanding Menopause
through Ayurveda
Just recently, I realized the glisten in my
eyebrows was actually a grey hair that
had popped its way through the black
mop of my eyebrow hairs! I was not in
the least bit prepared for this milestone,
but knew it was one of the many “joyous” disease, and arthritic pain. Other
transformations I’ve had to come to terms symptoms may include depression,
with since starting menopause some
three years back. After the initial shock,
I found myself reaching to Ayurveda to
gain an appreciation of this next phase of
life through the wise perspective of the
ancient ayurvedic acharyas.
First, the Western perspective of
menopause…
The average age of menopause is 51 and
occurs for most women between 45
and 55 years of age. It means the end of
the female monthly menstrual cycle in
which the body sloughs off the built-up
endometrial lining along with mucus and
blood, if fertilization of the ovum does
not take place. Starting around the mid-
forties, during the perimenopausal years,
estrogen levels gradually begin to wind
down, which can cause temperamental
periods (as well as mood swings), hot
flashes. and trouble sleeping. Only a
small number of women experience more
severe symptoms or long-term issues.
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Since estrogen receptors are located
all over the body, the changes are
manifold. They include accelerated
bone loss, decreased thyroid function,
weight gain, increased risk of heart
difficulty concentrating, vaginal dryness,
dyspareunia (painful intercourse), and
difficulty experiencing orgasm. Eating a
healthy diet, staying active by walking,
doing yoga, or other forms of exercise,
and making sure to get enough calcium
for optimal bone health are important
during this period of life.
Conventional medicine offers many forms
of therapy for women suffering from
menopausal symptoms. Since the 1960s,
the therapy of choice had been hormone
replacement therapy (HRT), which is the
use of estrogens alone or in combination
with progestins to replace the waning
hormone levels. But the results of two
large studies on HRT [The Heart and
Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study
(HERS) and the Women’s Health Initiative
(WHI) Study] showed important negative
consequences on women’s health and
quality of life that have greatly lowered
the use of HRT in recent years. Instead