Menopause & Perimenopause

Understanding Perimenopause and Menopause

Menopause is defined as the point when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. In the United States, the average age of natural menopause is approximately 51.

However, hormonal changes typically begin years before the final menstrual period. This stage, known as perimenopause, is often when symptoms first appear.

During perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone do not simply decline in a smooth, predictable way. Hormone levels can fluctuate considerably, which helps explain why symptoms may appear and disappear or change from month to month.

Common symptoms during perimenopause and menopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Irregular periods
• Heavy or changing menstrual flow
• Mood changes or irritability
• Anxiety or feeling more easily overwhelmed
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Joint and muscle discomfort
• Vaginal dryness
• Changes in libido or sexual function
• Weight gain or changes in body composition
• Changes in skin and hair
• Headaches or migraines

Every woman's experience is different. Some women move through menopause with relatively few symptoms, while others experience changes that significantly interfere with sleep, work, relationships, exercise, or quality of life.

How Can Acupuncture Help With Menopause?

Acupuncture has been used for centuries to address women's health concerns and is increasingly used as a natural therapy for symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause.

From a modern physiological perspective, acupuncture influences the nervous system and several pathways involved in pain perception, stress regulation, sleep, and temperature regulation. These effects provide several potential mechanisms through which acupuncture can help women feel better during the menopausal transition.

Because menopause affects women differently, treatment is individualized. Rather than using the same group of acupuncture points for every patient, we tailor treatment according to your particular combination of symptoms and how those symptoms change over time.

Acupuncture for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Hot flashes and night sweats, collectively known as vasomotor symptoms, are among the most recognizable symptoms of menopause. They can range from occasional warmth to intense episodes of heat, sweating, flushing, and nighttime awakening.

Acupuncture is commonly used to help reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats. Clinical studies comparing acupuncture with usual care or no acupuncture have reported meaningful reductions in vasomotor symptoms as well as improvements in quality of life.

In one large clinical study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, women receiving individualized acupuncture experienced significant reductions in hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms. Improvements were also seen in sleep quality, anxiety, physical symptoms, and the degree to which hot flashes interfered with daily life.

In clinical practice, we frequently treat hot flashes and night sweats as part of a broader pattern that may also include disrupted sleep, stress, fatigue, or other menopausal symptoms.

Acupuncture for Menopause and Sleep

Sleep often changes during perimenopause. Some women have difficulty falling asleep, while others wake repeatedly during the night or find themselves suddenly awake in the early morning hours.

Night sweats can contribute to disrupted sleep, but hormonal changes, stress, anxiety, and changes in nervous system regulation can also play a role.

Acupuncture has a calming effect on the nervous system and is commonly used to support healthier sleep. Research on acupuncture during menopause has also reported improvements in sleep quality in some women.

When sleep is one of your primary concerns, treatment may address both the sleep disturbance itself and contributing symptoms such as night sweats, anxiety, pain, or stress.

Mood, Anxiety and Feeling Like Yourself Again

Hormonal changes during perimenopause can affect mood and emotional resilience. Women who previously handled stress easily may suddenly feel more irritable, anxious, emotional, or overwhelmed.

These experiences are not simply a matter of having the wrong attitude. Hormonal fluctuations can interact with sleep, stress physiology, and the nervous system in ways that affect mood and emotional well-being.

Acupuncture helps regulate the nervous system and promotes relaxation. Many of our patients find that treatment helps them feel calmer, sleep better, and feel more like themselves during this transition.

Joint Pain, Muscle Aches and Menopause

Joint and muscle discomfort can become more noticeable during perimenopause and menopause. Declining estrogen levels can influence connective tissue, inflammation, muscle, bone, and pain perception, while changes in sleep and recovery can make existing musculoskeletal problems more noticeable.

Pain is also one of the areas in which acupuncture has been most extensively studied. Acupuncture stimulates the body's natural pain-relieving mechanisms, influences pain-processing pathways, helps reduce muscle tension, and increases circulation to treated tissues.

For women experiencing both menopausal symptoms and musculoskeletal pain, treatment can address these concerns during the same course of care.

Weight, Metabolism and Body Composition During Menopause

Many women notice that maintaining their previous weight or body composition becomes more difficult during midlife, even when their diet and exercise habits have not changed dramatically.

Menopause is associated with changes in body composition, including a greater tendency to accumulate fat around the abdomen. At the same time, age-related changes in muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, sleep, activity, and energy expenditure can influence metabolic health. 

Nutrition, adequate protein and fiber, resistance training, daily movement, sleep, stress management, and maintaining muscle mass become increasingly important during this stage of life. 

Acupuncture is not a "magic bullet" for weight loss, but it serves as an excellent supportive therapy when combined with lifestyle interventions like healthy diet and consistent exercise. Rather than directly melting away fat, acupuncture works by targeting systems connected to your metabolism, hormones, and stress response. For example, stimulating, specific acupuncture points can regulate hunger hormones like ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and leptin (the fullness hormone). Additionally, acupuncture can promote the release of endorphins, which can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause sugar cravings and belly fat retention.

For women who want more comprehensive support in this area, our Functional Medicine services can be integrated with acupuncture to address metabolic health, nutrition, lifestyle, digestive health, and targeted supplementation when appropriate.

Vaginal Dryness and Changes in Sexual Health

Declining estrogen can cause changes in vaginal and vulvar tissues, including dryness, irritation, discomfort during intercourse, and changes in sexual function. Libido and arousal may also change during perimenopause and menopause.

These concerns are common but are often overlooked or simply accepted as an unavoidable part of aging.

Acupuncture can be incorporated into a broader whole-person approach to menopausal wellness, but significant vaginal dryness or painful intercourse should also be discussed with your gynecologist or other qualified healthcare provider. Effective conventional treatments are available, including vaginal moisturizers and lubricants as well as local hormonal and other prescription therapies when appropriate.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Menopause

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of treating symptoms associated with the menopausal transition.

According to Chinese medicine theory, menopause reflects a natural change in the body's Yin, Yang, Qi, Blood, and Kidney energy. Symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, dryness, insomnia, irritability, fatigue, and changes in menstruation can represent different patterns of imbalance.

For example, one woman may primarily experience hot flashes and night sweats, while another struggles with insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, digestive changes, and joint pain. Although both are going through menopause, their acupuncture treatments may look very different.

Your acupuncturist may consider your symptoms along with your sleep, digestion, energy, temperature, stress, menstrual history, tongue, and pulse to develop an individualized treatment plan.

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Menopause

Chinese herbal medicine has traditionally been used alongside acupuncture to address menopausal symptoms. Herbal formulas are selected according to the individual's particular pattern and symptoms rather than using the same formula for every woman.

However, herbs and supplements are not automatically appropriate simply because they are natural. Some can interact with medications or may not be appropriate for women with certain medical conditions or histories of hormone-sensitive cancers.

When herbal medicine or supplementation is considered, we take your health history, medications, and other treatments into account and encourage coordination with your medical providers when appropriate.

Acupuncture and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Choosing acupuncture does not mean you have to choose between natural and conventional medicine.

Hormone therapy can be highly effective for menopausal symptoms and is an appropriate option for many women. Other women cannot take hormones, prefer not to use them, experience side effects, or continue to have symptoms despite treatment.

Acupuncture can be used with or without hormone therapy. Our goal is not to replace appropriate medical treatment but to provide another tool for helping you feel and function better during the menopausal transition.

If you are considering hormone therapy, decisions about whether it is appropriate for you should be made with your physician or other qualified prescribing healthcare provider based on your symptoms, age, health history, and individual risk factors.

A Whole-Person Approach to Menopause

Menopause is about more than hot flashes. It is a major physiological transition that can affect sleep, mood, metabolism, cardiovascular health, bone health, muscle, sexual health, and overall well-being.

Depending on your needs, we may discuss:

• Sleep and recovery
• Nutrition and protein intake
• Fiber and digestive health
• Blood sugar and metabolic health
• Strength training and physical activity
• Maintaining muscle and bone health
• Stress management
• Alcohol and caffeine
• Supplements when appropriate
• Coordination with conventional medical care

Our philosophy is to focus on the areas most relevant to you rather than assuming every woman needs a complicated supplement or wellness protocol.

What Does the Research Say About Acupuncture for Menopause?

Acupuncture has been studied for menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and quality of life.

Clinical studies comparing acupuncture with usual care or no acupuncture have reported meaningful improvements in menopausal symptoms. In a large randomized clinical study of women experiencing frequent hot flashes and night sweats, individualized acupuncture significantly reduced vasomotor symptoms and improved several measures of quality of life. Benefits were still evident months after treatment ended.

Systematic reviews have similarly found reductions in the frequency and severity of hot flashes when acupuncture is compared with no treatment. Some studies have also reported improvements in sleep and menopause-related quality of life.

For women interested in a non-drug approach, acupuncture remains a natural treatment option that can be incorporated into a broader plan for managing menopausal symptoms and supporting health through midlife.

What to Expect From Menopause Acupuncture

Your first visit begins with a detailed discussion of the symptoms that are affecting you most. We may ask about hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual changes, sleep, mood, energy, digestion, pain, sexual health, medications, hormone therapy, nutrition, exercise, and other aspects of your health.

Your acupuncturist will then create an individualized treatment based on your symptoms and goals. Fine, sterile acupuncture needles are placed at selected points on the body, and most patients find treatment deeply relaxing.

Because menopausal symptoms develop over time, acupuncture is generally provided as a course of treatment rather than as a single session. Frequency and duration depend on the severity of your symptoms and how you respond to treatment.

Acupuncture for Menopause and Perimenopause in Chicago

Acupuncture for Balanced Wellness has provided acupuncture for women's health in Chicago since 2008. Our licensed and board-certified acupuncturists provide personalized care for women experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, joint pain, and other symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause.

Our approach combines the principles of traditional Chinese medicine with a modern understanding of women's health, while recognizing that acupuncture can work alongside conventional medical care.

For women who would like additional support with nutrition, metabolic health, digestive health, and healthy aging, acupuncture can also be integrated with our Functional Medicine services.

Menopause is a natural transition, but that does not mean you simply have to put up with feeling uncomfortable or unlike yourself. Our goal is to help you move through this stage of life feeling healthier, more comfortable, and better supported.

Explore What We Treat  | Meet Our Acupuncturists  | Book an Appointment