Get in touch
555-555-5555
mymail@mailservice.com
The Over-Medicalization of Menopause: A Specialist’s Perspective on Healthspan and Resilience
Anna Harrelson • August 9, 2024

Navigating Menopause Naturally—A Holistic Approach to Restoring Balance and Healthspan

As a menopause specialist, I’ve encountered many women who arrive at my clinic burdened with a multitude of diagnoses—depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, palpitations, chronic fatigue, and more. These women have often been treated by various specialists, each prescribing a different medication, yet their core issue—hormonal fluctuations associated with menopause—remains unaddressed. This scenario highlights a critical problem in healthcare: the over-medicalization of menopause.


The Problem with Over-Medicalization

When women present with symptoms such as mood swings, insomnia, joint pain, or cognitive changes, they are frequently misdiagnosed. Rather than addressing the hormonal imbalances that drive these symptoms, many women are prescribed antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, or painkillers. This approach not only fails to address the root cause but often results in a cycle of polypharmacy, where the original issues remain untreated or worsen due to side effects.

Menopause is a natural life transition, not a disease. Yet, our healthcare system often treats it as a series of medical problems. This fragmented approach leads to over-medicalization—where normal physiological changes are pathologized and treated with an array of drugs rather than through a holistic understanding of a woman’s health.


Restoring Balance: A Holistic Approach

At Wondercreek Health, my approach is different. I recognize menopause as a natural phase of life that, while challenging, doesn’t require a cascade of medications. Instead, my focus is on restoring balance in the body through lifestyle modalities that balance stress, reduce harmful stressors, decrease inflammation, and build resiliency in the body.

  1. Lifestyle Modifications: I emphasize the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, stress management, and adequate sleep. These lifestyle factors are crucial in managing menopausal symptoms and supporting long-term health. By reducing inflammation, balancing stress, and enhancing the body’s resiliency, these interventions can alleviate many symptoms that are otherwise misdiagnosed and over-medicalized.
  2. Targeted Use of Hormone Therapy: While lifestyle changes are foundational, I also recognize that many women benefit from Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT). My approach is careful and individualized, using shared decision-making to determine the best course of action. Hormone therapy is carefully tailored and adjusted as each woman progresses through her unique journey. Perimenopause and menopause are not one-size-fits-all conditions; they are journeys that last for many years and require fluid, adaptable treatment plans. I see my role as sitting beside you on this rollercoaster, providing the support and expertise needed to navigate each twist and turn.
  3. Preserving and Aligning Healthspan: One of the primary goals of my care is to preserve and align your healthspan—the period of life spent in good health. I focus on preparing your body to handle life’s inevitable challenges, ensuring that you remain independent, active, and free from disability or chronic pain for as long as possible. While we can’t prevent every disease or challenge that comes our way, a well-supported body is better equipped to respond to and manage those bumps in the road.
  4. Comprehensive Care: I strive to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms. This means taking the time to understand each woman’s unique experience of menopause, considering both her physical and emotional well-being. Together, we develop personalized care plans that reflect your individual needs and preferences, ensuring that you are fully supported throughout your menopause journey.


The Path Forward

By shifting the focus from over-medicalization to a more balanced, holistic approach, I can help women navigate menopause with greater ease and confidence. It’s time to move away from treating menopause as a collection of diseases and start recognizing it as a natural, manageable life stage. With the right support, women can not only survive menopause but thrive during and after it.

At Wondercreek Health, I am committed to providing the care and guidance you need to restore balance, empower you, and support you through this important transition. If you’re tired of the endless medications and misdiagnoses, I’m here to help you find a more natural and effective path to wellness.


-Dr. Anna

WonderCreek Health Blog

By Anna Harrelson March 30, 2025
Let’s start with this: there is nothing shameful or trivial about wanting a healthy sex life. If you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond and wondering where your libido went, why sex feels different (or uncomfortable), or why no one ever warned you about vaginal dryness, you’re not alone. And you’re not imagining it. At Wondercreek Health, I talk to people every week who feel confused, dismissed, or ashamed about the sexual changes happening in their bodies. Many are thriving in every other area of life—careers, caregiving, health—but when it comes to intimacy, they feel stuck or unseen. So let’s say this together: sexual health is part of whole-person health. And pleasure is not optional . It’s a reflection of nervous system safety, hormonal balance, connection, and self-awareness. It belongs to you. What Happens to Sexual Health in Midlife and Beyond? Hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause can affect every part of your sexual experience. But so can chronic stress, birth control, antidepressants, trauma, and the weight of daily responsibilities. This is never just one thing. Common symptoms include: Vaginal dryness, burning, or itching (genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM) Pain with sex (dyspareunia) Loss of libido or arousal Less intense or harder-to-reach orgasms Urinary urgency or UTIs Pelvic floor tension or dysfunction These changes aren’t "just in your head" and they’re not a moral failure. They reflect real shifts in tissue, blood flow, hormones, and brain chemistry. Sex Isn’t Just for Someone Else’s Benefit Let’s say the quiet part out loud: many of us were raised to believe that sex was about someone else's pleasure. That we should be desirable, responsive, available—regardless of how we felt. That conditioning runs deep. But sex isn’t about performance. It’s about connection, intimacy, and pleasure—for you. Pleasure is your birthright. Intimacy can be tender, playful, spiritual, or wild— but it should never feel like pressure. Your desire may look different than someone else's, and that’s okay. This is true whether your partner is male, female, nonbinary, or you're navigating intimacy solo. There is no one-size-fits-all experience. Why Your Desire Might Feel "Off" Sexual changes can happen at any age. Oral contraceptives (OCPs) can suppress libido by lowering free testosterone. SSRIs and other antidepressants are well known to impact arousal and orgasm. Perimenopause often starts in the mid-30s, long before you notice hot flashes. Chronic stress and the mental load of caregiving, multitasking, and decision fatigue can leave no room for desire. Because here’s the reality: desire doesn’t live in your genitals. It starts in your brain . And when your brain is overloaded with to-dos, responsibilities, or unspoken resentment, it’s nearly impossible to shift into a space of curiosity, connection, and arousal. Unwinding the mind can be hard. For some of us, it means learning to use tools like mindfulness, breathwork, somatic practices, therapy, or just having space and time away from the demands of the world. Creating room for desire isn’t selfish. It’s a form of self-trust and reclamation. The Good News: This Is Treatable Sexual health doesn’t have to decline just because estrogen does. There are safe, effective, empowering ways to reconnect with your body and reclaim your pleasure. 1. Local vaginal estrogen (or DHEA or testosterone): Restores tissue health, lubrication, and blood flow Improves comfort, arousal, and pelvic health Safe for most people, even those with a history of breast cancer (with appropriate guidance) 2. Systemic hormone therapy: Can improve libido, mood, sleep, and confidence Testosterone therapy (when indicated) can support arousal and orgasm 3. Pelvic floor physical therapy: Addresses pain, tension, and coordination issues Supports better sensation and comfort 4. Nervous system regulation: Practices like breathwork, somatic therapy, or trauma-informed care help shift from "fight or flight" into connection When the nervous system feels safe, desire can return 5. Sex therapy or coaching: Helps explore personal blocks, relationship dynamics, and pleasure mapping Let’s Talk About Desire You might notice you don’t feel spontaneous desire anymore— but that doesn’t mean you’re broken . For many people, responsive desire (desire that follows arousal) becomes the norm in midlife. And it’s perfectly valid. Touch, connection, and intimacy may need more warming up. But your ability to experience pleasure is still intact—and it can grow deeper, richer, and more grounded as you reconnect with your body on your own terms. Final Thoughts You don’t need to be fixed. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to feel good in your body. Sexual health is not about keeping up with anyone else’s timeline or expectations. It’s about reclaiming what intimacy and connection mean to you in this season of life. At Wondercreek Health, I’m here to help you connect the dots, reduce shame, and support you with science-backed, judgment-free options that honor your experience. Because this is not the end of your sexual story. It might just be the beginning of the most powerful chapter yet.
By Anna Harrelson March 30, 2025
Let’s be honest: midlife can feel like your body is changing the rules without warning. You’re doing what used to work, but the results aren’t the same. The scale doesn’t budge, your sleep is disrupted, your energy is inconsistent, and your moods might feel like a rollercoaster you didn’t sign up for. And while hormone therapy, supplements, and nutrition are powerful tools for navigating perimenopause and menopause, movement—especially strength training and nervous system-aware exercise—is one of the most underutilized forms of medicine. As a lifestyle medicine physician and menopause specialist, I talk about this daily with my patients. Movement isn’t just about burning calories. It’s about retraining your stress response, building metabolic resilience, preserving muscle, and improving insulin sensitivity. Why Movement and Muscle Matter in Midlife During perimenopause and menopause, we experience natural declines and fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These shifts impact far more than reproduction—they affect how we regulate blood sugar, manage stress, build muscle, sleep, and recover from daily life. In this stage of life: Muscle mass declines more rapidly if not actively maintained Insulin sensitivity drops, raising the risk for metabolic syndrome and weight gain Cortisol levels rise and become harder to regulate, especially in women with high stress or trauma histories Nervous system resilience weakens, making it harder to bounce back from emotional or physical stressors Movement is the antidote to all of this. What the Research Shows Muscle is a metabolic organ. It stores glucose, improves insulin sensitivity, regulates inflammation, and even contributes to hormone production and detoxification. Building and maintaining muscle in midlife is one of the most powerful ways to protect against: Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance Cognitive decline Cardiovascular disease Falls, fractures, and osteoporosis And beyond the physical? Movement is critical for regulating the autonomic nervous system, which influences: Your ability to sleep Your mood and anxiety levels Your response to daily stressors Your digestive and immune function Not Just Any Movement This isn’t about hitting the gym for 90 minutes or going hard every day. It’s about intentional movement that supports your biology. Here’s what I recommend: 1. Prioritize strength training. 2–3 times per week of bodyweight, resistance bands, dumbbells, or machines Focus on form, tempo, and functional movement—not just reps or weight 2. Include low-impact, nervous-system regulating movement. Walking, mobility flows, Pilates, yoga, or tai chi Think of this as your recovery and resilience training 3. Move throughout the day. Break up sedentary time with stretching, light movement, or standing tasks Movement snacks matter for metabolic health 4. Don’t overtrain. Too much high-intensity exercise can increase cortisol, disrupt sleep, and worsen hormonal symptoms Listen to your body and focus on consistency over intensity It’s Not About Looking Fit. It’s About Feeling Well. This phase of life isn’t just about managing symptoms—it’s about building your future resilience. Every time you lift something heavy, take a walk, or stretch with intention, you are: Supporting your insulin and glucose balance Reinforcing your bone, brain, and cardiovascular health Regulating your nervous system Building muscle that keeps you independent and active for decades to come Movement is medicine, & muscle is your midlife superpower. Final Thoughts If you feel like your metabolism has shifted, your sleep is off, or your body feels unfamiliar—you’re not alone. But you’re not broken. You’re evolving. And your body is still responsive to thoughtful support. Start small. Lift something. Go for a walk. Move in a way that honors your nervous system, builds strength, and reminds you that this phase of life is not a decline—it’s a recalibration.
More Posts
Share by: