Menopause Treatment – A Natural Approach
Age naturally, gracefully and with ease using natural menopause treatments
Rebalance Your Hormones. Reconnect With Yourself. With over 20 years experience helping women navigate perimenopause and menopause, I’ll guide you through the overwhelming parts and help you feel like yourself again.
Because of the onset of troubling symptoms, menopause has unfortunately, but understandably, become commonly viewed as a disease state. This does not have to be the case. Effective natural menopause treatment is an option to normalize your hormones and improve your life.
What is menopause?
Menopause – by definition – is the complete cessation of menstruation and begins on the date of a woman’s last menstrual cycle. Interestingly, it is viewed in many cultures as a positive transition to becoming wiser and stronger. However, in North America, it is often viewed as a health condition or a time of ill health, with many women experiencing many unpleasant menopausal symptoms. Conventional menopause treatment uses hormone replacement therapy, which carries controversy due to safety concerns. Unfortunately, many women suffering from menopausal symptoms are not aware that there are effective natural menopause treatments.
The average age of menopause occurs at about 51 years old, but may occur years earlier or years later. Menopause is associated with a declining function of the ovaries and thereby a reduction in the hormones that they release, primarily: progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. As a consequence, signs and symptoms may present. These may include the following: hot flashes, night sweats, disturbed sleep, irritability, mood changes, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, bone loss, headaches, urinary incontinence, dizziness, hair loss and weight gain.
For some women, symptoms that appear to be menopausal are compounded – or even driven – by an underactive thyroid. Because hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis share many features with menopause, including fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and mood changes, a thorough thyroid assessment is an important part of any naturopathic menopause evaluation.
The good news is that menopausal symptoms can be treated to ensure that your transition is smoother and to improve your quality of life. Our naturopathic doctor, Dr.Makoto Trotter ND, is experienced in natural menopause treatment to help you feel your best while your hormones adjust.
What is peri-menopause?
Peri-menopause is the transition during which the ovaries gradually decrease in function until menopause is reached. During this time, menopausal symptoms may start to present and a woman’s menstrual cycle often changes. Periods may become irregular and menstrual flow typically lessens, but can also become heavier or come and go unpredictably.
Women navigating perimenopause who also experience significant pelvic pain, painful periods, or bloating may also benefit from an assessment for endometriosis, which can become more symptomatic as hormones shift in the years leading up to menopause.
Peri-menopause is a good time to start natural menopause treatment, so that the transition to post-menopause (when your periods have stopped for good) is smooth and symptom-free.
For women earlier in the hormonal transition, see our dedicated perimenopause page.
What causes menopause?
Menopause is caused by a woman’s body natural shifting away from reproductive capacity due to the declining function of the ovaries.
Peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms occur as a secondary effect of the fluctuating and ultimately lower levels of hormones (mainly estrogen, progesterone and testosterone). The transition in some women may be more prominent than others. And not every woman experiences menopausal symptoms.
The adrenal glands are a key contributor to explain the rocky hormonal transition that leads to menopausal symptoms. These glands also produce progesterone and estrogen to a lesser degree than do the ovaries. If the adrenals “pick up the slack” during peri-menopause, the transition to menopause becomes much smoother, with less problematic symptoms.
Unfortunately, the adrenal glands are often pre-occupied with helping our bodies manage chronic stress. The more they have been depleted and taxed by their requirements to produce stress hormones, the less they will be able to produce adequate levels of progesterone and estrogen. This prevents them from being able to provide some compensation for the ovaries shutting down, which manifests as menopausal symptoms. As well, cortisol (the stress hormone) competes with progesterone for receptor sites, essentially inhibiting the effect of progesterone.
Note also that thyroid dysfunction can mimic or worsen menopausal symptoms. This also should be assessed via detailed thryoid hormone testing.
Understanding this helps guide an effective and natural menopause treatment.
Feeling unsure about your next step?
Book a complimentary 15-minute meet & greet to discuss your symptoms and see if this approach is right for you.
How does a naturopathic doctor treat menopausal symptoms?
A naturopathic doctor will carry out a comprehensive assessment with you. In particular, your diet, lifestyle and stress will be assessed for its impact on your hormones. Of course, the whole constellation of your menopausal symptoms will also be discussed in detail.
During the initial period of naturopathic treatment of menopausal symptoms, your naturopath implements dietary and lifestyle modifications with you. These lifestyle improvements may lead to improvements in menopausal manifestations.
At some point, a naturopath may recommend a DUTCH hormone test to better understand which hormones are sub-optimal, and to what degree. DUTCH hormone testing provides an assessment of bio-available hormones and in much more detail than a blood test would. Frustratingly, for many women in menopause, the conventional approach puts little emphasis on proactively measuring your hormones levels. Typically, symptoms are treated rather than understanding your hormone patterns and deficiencies first.
Based on the understanding of which hormone levels need normalizing, your naturopathic doctor may recommend nutrients or herbs to help your body re-balance hormone levels naturally.
Alternatively, in some cases, your naturopath may prescribe bio-identical hormones as part of your natural menopause treatment. These are prescribed to more directly target hormones that are very depleted. If your naturopath recommends bio-identical hormones, it will be dosed according to your individual requirements. Ideally, saliva hormone levels should be re-tested a few months after initiating bio-identical hormone therapy. Your naturopath does this to ensure that your hormone levels are at their appropriate and optimal levels.
Measuring your hormone levels helps to guide your menopause treatment.
How would my visits work for the natural treatment of menopause?
- Comprehensive intake to discuss your menopausal symptoms, hormones, immune system, digestion and other body systems that may be impacting your hormones
- Review your diet to ensure it is appropriate to support your hormone transition
- Review previous diagnostic tests and reports relevant to your health
- Discuss test options that are relevant to re-balancing your hormones
- Recommend a diet and lifestyle plan that is designed to normalize your hormones, reduce inflammation, support immunity and optimize a healthy transition to post-menopause
- Recommend nutrients and supplements to support healthy hormone levels
- Discuss herbal medicine options to improve your menopausal symptoms and balance your hormones
- Discuss the connection between emotions and your hormones and create strategies to improve your stress
- Potentially incorporate acupuncture to re-balance hormones and improve your menopausal symptoms
Frequently Asked Questions
Is naturopathic menopause treatment safe if I’ve been advised against conventional HRT? Yes. Many women seek naturopathic care specifically because conventional hormone replacement therapy isn’t suitable for them. Naturopathic approaches – including herbal medicine, targeted nutrition, and bio-identical hormones where appropriate – offer effective alternatives that are tailored to your individual health history and risk profile.
What is the difference between bio-identical hormones and conventional HRT? Bio-identical hormones are structurally identical to the hormones your body produces naturally, and are prescribed based on your individual hormone testing rather than a standardized dose. Conventional HRT typically uses synthetic hormones at fixed doses. Bio-identical hormones are compounded specifically for you and adjusted over time based on how your body responds.
How do I know if my symptoms are menopause or something else – like thyroid issues? This is one of the most common questions Dr. Trotter encounters in practice. Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis share many features with menopause – fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, mood changes, and disrupted sleep. A comprehensive assessment including a full thyroid panel is a standard part of any naturopathic menopause evaluation to ensure nothing is being missed.
When should I start naturopathic treatment – do I have to wait until menopause? No – perimenopause is actually the ideal time to start. Beginning treatment during the transition phase means your adrenal glands and hormonal systems can be supported before symptoms become severe, making the path to post-menopause significantly smoother.
Does the DUTCH hormone test tell me more than a standard blood test? Yes, considerably more. Standard blood tests typically measure a single snapshot of estrogen and progesterone levels. The DUTCH test measures how your hormones are being produced, used, and metabolized over time – including cortisol patterns and estrogen detoxification pathways. This level of detail is what allows Dr. Trotter to build a truly personalized treatment plan rather than a generic protocol.
Menopause symptoms often overlap with other hormonal and metabolic concerns. You can explore more hormonal and related conditions treated to better understand how these patterns may be connected.
Looking for support with menopause symptoms?
Menopause is a natural transition, but hormonal shifts can significantly affect energy, mood, sleep, and overall wellbeing. A personalized naturopathic approach can help identify contributing factors and support a smoother transition through this stage of life.
👉 Book a consultation to get a tailored treatment plan.