How can spas support women in menopause?

There are around 13 million women of menopausal or perimenopausal age in the UK, and each one experiences menopause in their own way. Their symptoms can be as unique as they are, and yet the variety of support available has often been limited. For some, medical intervention such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is the best course. For others, holistic options are helpful. Whatever is the right path for you, the spa world has turned its attention to delivering treatments and products that provide targeted therapies to help women in menopause feel like the best version of themselves.

So, who's doing what and why?

Menopause statistics: did you know?

• Roughly one in 100 women experience signs of menopause before the age of 40
• Internet searches for the term ‘menopause’ have doubled since 2004
• 90% of women experience signs of menopause
• Menopause symptoms interfere with 85% of women’s lives, while one in four experience debilitating signs of menopause
• Three in five women claim the menopause has had a negative impact on them at work
• It's estimated that menopause costs the UK economy 14 million working days per year, in terms of time spent alleviating menopause symptoms
• Many women can’t use or don’t want to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a solution for unwanted menopausal symptoms

How many menopause symptoms are there?

There is some debate around the number of menopause symptoms that there are, and that's largely because science is still learning. Women are pretty extraordinary, and their bodies are doing lots of different things, so documentation is still catching up to some extent. Head to Google and you will find articles that say there's anything from 34 to 100, and no doubt the more research that's done the more those figures will change.

Jennifer Young, one of the spa industry leaders, who has developed spa therapies and therapist training designed to help women have a better experience with menopause, has done her own research and identified 76 menopause symptoms to date. Her research is underpinned by her work on The Menopause Million, the largest global research study into menopausal symptoms ever undertaken, along with The Global Wellness Institute’s Hormonal Wellness Initiative.

Amongst some the symptoms she identified (and more widely reported) are the following:

• Mood changes
• Changes in sexual desire
• Trouble concentrating
• Headaches
• Night sweats
• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Trouble with sleep
• Joint and muscle aches
• Heavy sweating
• Having to pee often
• PMS-like symptoms
• Anger
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Low mood and feelings of depression
• Heart disease
• Osteopenia (loss of bone mass)
• Osteoporosis (fragile bones)
• Skin changes

Holistic helpers in menopause

We know that a generally healthy lifestyle helps to support most areas of wellbeing, including menopause symptoms. For example, Cambridge University Hospitals recommends regular exercise, a healthy diet with a focus on calcium, vitamin D, vegetables, and phytoestrogens, as well as actions to reduce stress levels and manage anxiety.

The latter is perhaps easier said than done as not only do we know that menopause symptoms themselves can add to feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. However, it coincides with a life stage where many people are dealing with elderly parents and their potential health complications, teenage children, and stressful careers.

However, holistic therapies both in a spa context and at home are shown to help provide support. For example, Jennifer Young's State of the Art Scoping Review found that menopausal women and professionals looking to treat their symptoms with non-pharmaceutical approaches should consider phytoestrogens (plant oestrogens which can be found in some natural skincare products and certain foods) and CBT for relief across a spectrum of symptoms. Other therapies that were found to be helpful included:

• Reflexology
• Homoeopathy
• Hypnosis
• Mindfulness
• Exercise
• Yoga
• Aromatherapy
• Acupressure/acupuncture

Spa treatments for menopause

Many therapist trainers and spa product houses have worked together with spas to create spa treatments and experiences that are specifically designed to nurture women in the different stages of perimenopause and menopause.

While there’s no single ‘fix’ for menopause symptoms, the treatments and experiences are all designed with specific needs and symptoms in mind. For example, some spas use products containing naturally occurring plant oestrogens, others use cooling products for hot flash relief, some focus on acupressure to help target specific symptoms, and some address skin changes such as pigmentation or dryness.

Crucially, where spas are focused on supporting women is by creating space where their experiences are acknowledged outside a medical context and are focused on supporting the individual, delivering beautiful experiences that help you to feel your best.

Want to find out more? There are now a number of spa product brands and therapist training providers who have created specialist knowledge, products and treatments for women in menopause. Each brings their own unique skill sets and areas of expertise to the experience. Here is a little overview of some of the leaders in this space: