What Is Biohacking Menopause?

WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?

Many women have no clue what menopause actually is. We just know that our periods stop and we get hot flashes in the middle of nowhere. We know it’s not forever, but it all sounds very scary. It doesn’t have to be, because although no one gets away from a period that stops, which in fact is a welcome relief for some of us, not everyone gets symptoms. And not everyone experiences majorly disruptive symptoms. And if you do, don’t worry, it’s all hackable! 

Let’s first clear the confusion on what is and what isn’t menopause.

Menopause is actually a one day event. The ovaries produce so little estrogen that an egg is no longer released. So, our periods stop. You will officially be in menopause once you haven’t had a period for a full year. If you lost your period for 6 months and then one came back, you have to reset the clock back and count all over again.

The average age of menopause is a little different for each country, but generally it’s around 51 years old. Menopause is the beginning of a new stage of our lives, for better or for worse. I like to call it a rebirth!

Now, everything after this menopause date is technically called post-menopause, but we always refer to it as menopause, even if it’s just one date on the calendar. 

PRE-MENOPAUSE

Pre-menopause and perimenopause are sometimes used interchangeably, but technically they have different meanings. Pre-menopause is from the day you start your period until you hit perimenopause, which we will explain in a second. We still have our periods in premenopause and we don’t have any radical hormonal changes. These are also called our “childbearing years”.

PERIMENOPAUSE

Perimenopause is estimated at about 5 years before you hit menopause, but it can be longer. Peri, meaning “around” the time of menopause. So, it’s generally around the age of 45. Our hormones are fluctuating and we may have some symptoms like irregular periods, one month it’s here, then next month not. Or maybe your periods are longer or shorter, heavier or lighter. We also may see our body composition change, like more fat, especially around the belly, and then we may find it harder to build muscle. Maybe we are having a hot flash or night sweats, anxiety and depression may increase and some of us find it harder to sleep. It’s during the perimenopausal years that women struggle with the most as they move through the journey towards menopause.

EARLY ONSET MENOPAUSE

Early onset menopause or premature menopause happens anywhere from 40 to 45 years old, but this in fact is very common. 

PREMATURE MENOPAUSE 

Premature menopause and early onset menopause sound the same, but there’s just a difference in age. Premature menopause is when menopause happens (that 12 consecutive days without a period) in our 30s, technically, before the age of 40. It’s more unusual and occurs in about 1% of the US population. However, it’s not unusual to be in perimenopause in our 30s. Progesterone, our calming hormone, takes a precipitous decline in our mid 30s. Much earlier than when we start to lose our estrogen. So, it’s really not unusual to start feeling anxious, have poor sleep or a racing heart as our progesterone heads out the door and we start to lose that beautiful delicate balance with estrogen when we are in our 30s.

Early (onset) menopause occurs between the ages of 40 and 45 and affects between 8% – 12% of women. 

OVARIAN FAILURE

Anyone entering menopause before our 30s is said to have ovarian failure. But this affects only about 0.1% of the US population. Interesting to note, the standard of care for women in this category is to immediately put her on hormone therapy to protect her bones, brain and heart. Unfortunately, this is not the case for women of normal menopausal age. As if they don’t matter. Blows my mind.

LATE ONSET MENOPAUSE

Late onset menopause is if by 55 or older you still have a period. Some research shows that falling into menopause later in life may be protective and other research that shows it puts us more at risk. According to research by Alan Altman in 2007 “The more menstrual cycles a woman has over a lifetime, the more chance a normal proliferating breast cancer cell will mutate.” Research is ongoing, so stay tuned.

POST MENOPAUSE

This refers to the period after you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period.

WHAT IS BIOHACKING?

Biohacking simply means hacking our own internal system, meaning our biology, mostly with external factors.

What biohackers do best is gather data and take responsibility of their health. We cannot rely completely on a doctor to know everything about our bodies and give us a magic pill to make our health issues go away. 

The difference between a biohacker and a health enthusiast, is that we test, measure and assess. We look for data. We look at our bodies as the laboratory and we are the scientist. We conduct our experiments in “the lab” and see what happens. We take responsibility and have an understanding that some experiments go well, but some don’t. But the more we experiment, the more we find out about our biology. And, thus, the better we can hack it.

BIOINDIVIDUALITY

The last thing I want to share with you about biohacking is bioindividuality. This means that every biological organism can react differently to the same experiment. This is why biohacking is so important. We know that one size DOES NOT fit all. We know that what works for one person, may or may not work for us. All we can do is experiment with our bodies in the safest way possible. 

HOW DO I BIOHACK MENOPAUSE?

To give you an example of what biohacking menopause means. Let’s say you have hot flashes. You have the choice to take hormone therapy and keep testing, measuring, assessing and tweaking to find your optimal dosage. 

Whether or not you choose hormones to alleviate hot flashes, I always believe we should have a good biohacking foundation of the proper nutrition, appropriate exercise and recovery, optimize sleep and manage our stress. This will help our transition into menopause. 

Some women opt for other biohacking techniques for their hot flashes such as cold or contrast therapy (i.e. ice bathing or cold plunge with a sauna), supplements, or breathwork. There are a 101 ways to skin a cat! 

Biohacking offers a personalized and holistic approach to addressing hot flashes during menopause by leveraging scientific knowledge, technology, and lifestyle modifications. This is a proactive and individualized approach that empowers us to take control of our menopausal journey and extend the life of our ovaries as much as possible.

Happy biohacking!