Menopause is a time of change, not of decline. Hormones don’t “stop,” but rather shift, with progesterone present throughout the cycle as estrogen is lowered, and the adrenal glands and fat tissues take up the slack of hormone production.

To some women, many menopausal symptoms are mere annoyances, while to others they are virtually disabling. One key factor here is adrenal health and general stress response. If a woman enters menopause in a depleted, stressed state, the adrenals are less able to make enough estrogen and other hormones to buffer the loss of production from the ovary. On the other hand, working on good health habits and stress management when younger can go a long way toward making the menopausal change simply that: a change rather than a downward slope.

Myth #2: Sexuality stops at menopause.

Sex, for men and women both, can mean something different after “a certain age.”  It may be more about intimacy, less about fireworks. Some women experience a loss of sexual desire and sensitivity at menopause. Having testosterone and DHEA levels measured and replaced can lead to a return of sexual sensations. Many women find that sexual desire lessens temporarily during the few years of adjustment to menopause and then picks up again once they readjust.

Part Two will deal with osteoporosis and hormone replacement – stay tuned!

Here is yet another example of how the conventional model of one organ/one measurement/one drug treatment completely misses the interconnectedness of the body system – what I call the metabolic matrix. Bones are made of more than calcium. The calcium in bones is laid in a matrix, a lattice-work of proteins, lipids, and other minerals. Now comes research suggesting that bone strength is not the same as bone mineral density, though they are related. To put it another way, not everyone with low bone density is susceptible to fractures and vice versa. The integrity of the bony matrix is just as important. This is why we always try to give calcium in a matrix form called micronized crystalline hydroxyl cal apatite or MCHC. And it’s why we look at hormones, inflammation, heavy metals and other toxins, and a wide array of non-calcium nutrients when faced with possible osteopenia or osteoporosis.

Bones can actually be thought of as an endocrine (hormone) organ, constantly in communication with other endocrine organs. Estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone, T3 thyroid, and the brain hormone seratonin are all factors influencing bone health. There’s a lot of overlap between the development of osteoporosis and that of auto-immune disease, chronic infections, cardiovascular illness, diabetes, and even gum disease.

So by all means have bone densities monitored and take a good source of calcium – but also pay attention to the lifestyle interventions that will restore balance among all of your organ systems.