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info@pelvichealth.melbourne
Menopause can seem overwhelming!
Heavier periods, night wakefulness, bloated, forgetful, moody, itchy, as well as leaky and gaseous, Argggg!!!!
Why did no one tell me?
What is menopause?
What is perimenopause?
The state of menopause means you have naturally stopped your menstrual cycle of ovulation and menstruation. To be diagnosed as menopausal it has been 12 months since your last period. The average age to reach menopause is 51.
Perimenopause is the build-up period where you may notice body changes as your hormone levels change.
Perimenopause can start from 42!!!
Signs and Symptoms?
- Are you having trouble sleeping or find yourself wide awake overnight and then exhausted in the morning?
- Are you frequently feeling more irritable?
- Do you find yourself forgetting things and feeling foggy-brained?
- Are your periods getting heavier or irregular?
- Are you feeling bloated, or experiencing increased food sensitivities?
- Have you noticed a slow weight gain around your belly?
- Are you experiencing a sudden need to rush to the toilet or are you weeing more frequently?
- Are you experiencing vaginal dryness and an overall decrease in libido?
- What about general skin itchiness?
- Do you suffer from hot flushes and night sweats?
Contributing to menopause symptoms?
Changing hormonal levels within your body contribute to all the above changes.
- During Perimenopause our sex hormones, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone slowly decline to very low levels. These hormones are responsible for maintaining tissue elasticity and health within many of our organs including our bladder, bowel, uterus and bones
- Having a great GP or gynaecologist to talk about hormonal management and natural therapies can be life-changing
How can we help?
Physiotherapy help during perimenopause and menopause?
Bladder
- New bladder leakage is usually easy to fix with pelvic floor muscle normalisation and exploring drinks and bladder habits that may be newly irritating your bladder when they were not issues before
Bowel
- We also do a thorough analysis of your bowel habits to see what the new potential irritant may be to the bowel as well as optimising your bowel habits, poo positions, and time sitting to help get you back to being regular and emptying fully
Prolapse
- Our treatments to manage pelvic organ prolapse may include pelvic floor muscle training, lifestyle and exercise advice, a support pessary (a device to support the pelvic organs, just like an ankle or knee brace) and tailored exercise plans respecting your prolapse
Intimacy
- Adding a silicone-based lubricant is one of the most important changes during menopause as vaginal dryness can cause new intimacy pain. Sometimes this is not enough and we need to assess your skin muscle and entrance to see what is causing your new intimacy pain or inability to achieve intimacy
Bone Density
- We can provide a safe and innovative exercise program during peri-menopause, which is important to maintain healthy bone mass as well as work on balance and speed movement
Related Blogs
Jaw, jumping and jellyfish all start with the letter J and are all related to pelvic health. How can we help?
There are so many wonderful elements experienced during pregnancy and we do our best to be healthy throughout. We remember to take our prenatal vitamins to ensure our body and bub are getting enough of what's needed. We stay clear of certain foods to avoid infections. We keep our body active by exercising but we don't always remember to care for our pelvic floor. During pregnancy, muscles of your pelvic floor are stretched and weaken. These muscles help to control your bladder. When your pelvic floor muscles are weak, they can't always stop your bladder from leaking. This leaking happens mostly when you cough, laugh, sneeze, lift or exercise. You may also find holding in a wee difficult, like when putting a key in the front door, suddenly the urge is greater. By performing pelvic floor exercises, you can strengthen the muscles. Pelvic floor muscle training will assist the body to cope with the growing weight of the baby. Stronger muscles before bub is born will help to reduce or avoid stress incontinence after pregnancy. It's never too early to start doing pelvic floor exercises, but the earlier and more regularly you practice them throughout pregnancy, the greater the benefits. If you're unsure if you're performing pelvic floor exercises correctly or would like some guidance, we can help!
Incontinence, intimacy pain and initial appointment all start with the letter I and are all related to pelvic health. How can we help?
Hysterectomy, hormones and hemorrhoids all start with the letter H and are all related to pelvic health. How can we help?
Our team
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live, the Bunurong and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.