Second Spring: A TCM Perspective on Perimenopause and Menopause

Perimenopause and menopause are often spoken about in the West through a lens of disruption: hot flushes, mood changes, broken sleep, heavier or irregular periods, and a sense that the body has become unpredictable. Many women move into this stage with a mix of confusion and frustration, especially when symptoms begin to affect daily life, energy, and how you feel emotionally. Women often tell me they feel dismissed or reassured that their bloods are “normal,” even though nothing about their daily experience feels normal.

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a different way of understanding this shift. In TCM, this transition is known as Second Spring. In China it is a highly respected, even celebrated, stage of life that represents a move toward clarity, steadiness, and renewed focus. It offers a perspective that is rooted in continuity, self-knowledge, and a more grounded way of being. For us women in the West, this perspective feels refreshing because it reframes this stage as a natural transition rather than something to be feared or pathologised. Growing evidence shows that acupuncture can play an important role in reducing symptoms and improving overall wellbeing.

Understanding What This Stage Feels Like

Symptoms in perimenopause vary widely. For some, it’s a slight change in sleep or concentration; for others, it includes hot flushes, emotional swings, restlessness, or a sudden change in how the body responds to stress. It is common to feel “not quite yourself,” even when nothing dramatic appears on the outside. The lack of recognition in the Western medical system often adds to the strain, leaving many women to navigate these changes without the understanding or support they deserve.

How Acupuncture Helps

Acupuncture supports the body as it adapts to this new rhythm. It helps steady the hormonal fluctuations that sit behind many of the changes women feel at this stage, including hot flushes, disrupted sleep, and shifts in mood or energy. It also calms an overactive stress response, which is often behind broken sleep, irritability, and that familiar tired-but-wired feeling. By supporting temperature regulation, acupuncture can reduce the intensity and frequency of hot flushes. It promotes deeper, more restorative sleep, which has a direct effect on clarity, energy, and steadiness during the day.

Many women also carry tension in the shoulders, chest, jaw, abdomen, and lower back without realising it. Acupuncture helps the body release these patterns so everything feels less tight and reactive. The overall effect is a calmer nervous system, steadier hormonal balance, and a greater sense of being able to manage daily demands with more ease.

Treatment is always individual. If sleep is the main challenge, I focus there. If heat, anxiety, low energy, or overstimulation are more dominant, treatment adjusts accordingly. Acupuncture works on its own or safely alongside HRT and supplements, making it easy to integrate into the support you already have.

Evidence-Based Support

Research into acupuncture for perimenopause and menopause has grown significantly. Studies show improvements in hot flushes, night sweats, sleep quality, anxiety, mood, and overall wellbeing.

Acupuncture is also recognised in several national clinical guidelines. Health authorities in the UK, Australia, and Scandinavia include acupuncture as a supportive therapy for menopausal symptoms, particularly for sleep disturbances and vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. This reflects a meaningful shift in mainstream healthcare toward more integrated, patient-centred menopause support, with acupuncture seen as a safe option that fits well alongside conventional treatment, including HRT.

Moving Through Second Spring With Support

Daily responsibilities don’t pause during perimenopause. Work, family, and the demands of everyday life continue, even when sleep is light or emotions feel close to the surface. Having support during this stage can make these pressures more manageable. When symptoms soften and your body feels more settled, there is more space to feel like yourself again.

Second Spring marks a transition into a phase that can feel clearer, more grounded, and more aligned with who you are now. Many women find that boundaries become clearer, priorities sharpen, and there is a stronger sense of what genuinely supports them. As symptoms ease, this phase feels far more centred and empowering than the narrative we’re given in the West.

If you’d like support through this stage, acupuncture can help you feel steadier and more at home in yourself. You’re welcome to book an acupuncture session online if you’d like tailored support — I’d be happy to help.