Ayurveda and the Menopause

An Ayurvedic Perspective

I would like to begin by sharing with you a beautiful Traditional Native American saying I recently came across, that I think perfectly frames the Ayurvedic perspective on the menopause: 

“At her first bleeding a woman meets her power. During her bleeding years she practices it. At her menopause she becomes it.”  

These words really stopped me in my tracks and forced me to pause and consider all of the meaning and wisdom contained in those three simple yet profound sentences. It ties in beautifully with the Ayurvedic understanding of the three stages of life.  Childhood is a time full of growth, building bones and structure and a lot of learning.  Ayurveda associates this stage of life with the Kapha dosha of earth and water. Adulthood is a time of heat in the body, of forward drive, achievements and accomplishments and is associated with the Pitta dosha of fire and water - these are our bleeding years.  Later life  is seen as a period of creating new chapters, creativity and moving into your wisdom - letting go of the need to achieve and contemplating all you have learned. It is known as Vata time of life, the dosha of air and ether.

You may also find it interesting to note that Ayurveda does not view the menopause as a ‘disorder’ or something that women must suffer from.  Indeed, in more remote parts of the worlds it remains a time of life when the woman is held in high-esteem, rather than the culture that has pervaded in the West for too long, i.e when you reach the menopause you are ready for the scrap heap.  I have personally seen patients who are able to turn around their symptoms simply by reframing what the menopause means for them -and the more we can change the narrative to be a positive one the better it will be for the generations that come after us too,.

One of the most common complaints for women during peri-menopause is the occurrence of hot flushes and night sweats. Our monthly cycle is not just about elimination of the unused egg, but a purification and detoxification that is taking place. Our menstrual blood is antibacterial and anti-microbial and when it passes through the lining it helps remove a lot of toxins - and also heat! Heat or ‘pitta’ dosha is often found in the blood and can build up to excessive levels due to stress, poor eating habits and a hectic lifestyle. The monthly bleed gives us some relief. We are probably all familiar with that sense of build up just before our period arrives as though we are ready to blow at any moment - and then the relief, like opening the lid on a boiling kettle - once the blood starts to leave the body. So, when our periods stop, if we have not done anything to cool and calm that residual heat in our bodies, there is no natural release or relief of this built-up heat - and so hot flushes and night sweats take over…they are  your body’s way of trying to remove the toxins as you move form the Pitta time of life to the cooler and hopefully calmer Vata time. By switching diet to a more cooling one, perhaps incorporating some simple herbal remedies and lifestyle swaps you can calm those pesky night sweats for good. During the Wellbeing Workshop  - “Ayurveda and the Menopause” ( a virtual workshop available to book soon) in February we will explore this and many of the other symptoms associated with peri-menopause and how you can take steps to address these issues naturally and mindfully - no matter what stage of life you are currently at.

I strongly believe it is time to unlearn what we have been taught and reframe the narrative for the next generation of women. It is also time to examine our societal views on menopausal women. No more this idea that once periods stop you are somehow less important or less vital, that you will become invisible or without purpose.  Instead, let’s shift to an Ayurvedic view, reflected in the words of the Native American saying and begin honouring a woman as she transitions from Pitta time of life into Vata time and celebrate her stepping into her power, wisdom, insight and allow her the space she needs to grow from deep reflection and contemplation on the life lived thus far.