Women will stop menstruating at the end of menopause, but many women continue to experience menopausal symptoms long after their periods have stopped. “If menopausal symptoms are not addressed, they will persist indefinitely. Menopause is not just a phase,” said Yeh Ru-Duan, director of Jiapin Chinese Medicine Clinic in Taiwan.

Estrogen plays a crucial role in regulating many physiological functions in females. A significant decline in estrogen levels during menopause can lead to various symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats. Hot flashes refer to a sudden sensation of wind-heat, often accompanied by flushing of the skin, that can start in the head and chest and spread throughout the body, hence they are also known as hot flushes. Along with hot flashes, menopausal women may also experience night sweats, which can cause a burning sensation on their backs and disrupt their sleep.

For example, menopausal women often experience problems with imbalances in the kidneys, liver, heart, and spleen. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, these imbalances refer not only to the organs themselves, but also to a broader systemic concept. The kidneys in TCM do not equate to the organs of the same name in Western medicine, as the term also involves the reproductive and endocrine systems. Similarly, in TCM, the liver is not only the organ but is also associated with emotions.

Usually, TCM practitioners diagnose the main cause of the disorder through clinical pulse diagnosis, and restore normal organ functions with targeted treatment, leading to a natural improvement in symptoms.

Yeh noted that many of her patients have a constitution characterized by kidney deficiency. Those who already had kidney deficiency prior to menopause may experience more severe symptoms than others when they enter this stage.

Yeh explained that during menopause, estrogen levels in women drop rapidly, while in men, the decline is more gradual. As a result, men typically do not experience severe symptoms when they reach menopause (also known as andropause). However, they may notice a gradual decrease in physical strength, reduced sexual function, and some emotional instability.

Women are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures compared to men. In addition to having smaller and less dense bones, women also experience a rapid decline in estrogen levels during menopause, which can lead to more significant bone loss. At this point, “Even if you take calcium supplements, it won’t make up for the bone loss, as it happens too rapidly,” Yeh emphasized.

Therefore, the key to preventing osteoporosis should be to preserve the bones before menopause—that is, taking measures to reduce the amount of bone loss.

Some kidney-tonifying medicines in traditional Chinese medicine, such as Guilu Erxian Jiao, can help reduce bone loss. However, lifestyle changes and exercise are still the primary means of preserving bone health.

After the age of 50, it is important to focus on calcium and vitamin D intake in your daily diet. Additionally, it is recommended to reduce the intake of caffeine and alcohol, as well as quit smoking.

Incorporating regular exercise is crucial, which can include activities like walking, dancing, aerobic exercises, and weight training. Dr. Deborah Sellmeyer, an internationally renowned expert in metabolic bone disease and professor of medicine at Standford University, said that any activity that makes the bones function can stimulate bone remodeling, which helps maintain bone strength. This can start with something as simple as taking a 15- to 20-minute walk outside every day.