Acupuncture for Menopause & Perimenopause
Understanding Menopause and Perimenopause
The transition through perimenopause and menopause marks a natural, powerful shift in a woman’s life — but it can also bring unexpected physical and emotional changes.
Fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone levels can lead to hot flushes, anxiety, poor sleep, low mood, brain fog, weight changes, and loss of libido. For many, it’s also a time when old patterns — physical and emotional — resurface, asking to be addressed in a new way.
Perimenopause can begin years before the final period, with subtle shifts in mood, cycle length, or energy levels. Menopause itself — defined as twelve months after your last period — is not an ending, but an invitation to move into a different rhythm. Supporting the body through this transition makes it far smoother, helping you feel balanced, clear, and confident in this next chapter.
A Classical Five-Element Approach
Johnny Childs practises classical Five-Element acupuncture from Kite Clinic, Marylebone, and Liberty London.
His work is grounded in the classical tradition, with a contemporary focus on emotional health, fertility, and the regulation of the nervous system.
He supports people navigating fertility treatment, hormonal imbalance, stress, and complex or long-standing conditions, working at a deeper, constitutional level to restore balance over time.
“Recovery is not simply about wound healing. It is about restoring internal equilibrium”
— Johnny Childs
Western Approach to Treatment
Conventional treatment often focuses on replacing declining hormones through HRT (hormone replacement therapy), alongside medication for specific symptoms such as sleep aids or antidepressants.
For some women, this approach can be transformative; for others, it can bring unwanted side effects or feel incomplete — addressing the symptoms but not the deeper sense of disconnection or depletion that can arise at this stage.
While medical support plays an important role, many women find they also need something that works with the body — helping it adapt naturally rather than overriding its processes. This is where acupuncture offers a complementary and holistic alternative.
The Five Element Acupuncture Lens
In Five Element acupuncture, menopause is understood as a time of transformation — a recalibration of energy that affects every level of being.
The hormonal shifts are seen as part of a wider energetic rebalancing, where the body is seeking a new state of harmony.
Each woman’s experience is unique. One may feel hot and restless (signs of excess Fire); another may feel tired, flat, or emotionally detached (signs of declining Water or Earth). By identifying which elements are out of balance, treatment is tailored precisely to your individual needs — addressing both the physical symptoms and the emotional or spiritual shifts that accompany them.
This approach doesn’t pathologise menopause; it honours it as a natural passage, guiding the body gently back into alignment so this stage feels empowering rather than depleting.
How Acupuncture Can Help With Menopause and Perimenopause
Acupuncture helps by calming the nervous system, regulating hormonal fluctuations, and improving circulation — all of which ease common menopausal symptoms.
Treatments can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flushes, improve sleep, lift mood, and stabilise energy levels.
But beyond symptom relief, acupuncture supports the deeper emotional landscape of this transition. It can ease anxiety, bring clarity, and restore a sense of groundedness and connection to the body. By balancing the autonomic nervous system and supporting adrenal function, acupuncture also helps the body adapt more smoothly to the reduced hormonal output from the ovaries.
Over time, many women notice a profound shift — not just fewer symptoms, but a renewed sense of strength, self-assurance, and calm. The aim is not simply to “get through” menopause, but to move through it feeling more whole, balanced, and aligned.
Acupuncture for Menopause & Perimenopause FAQs
Appointments & Enquires
If you are considering acupuncture as part of your fertility journey, you are welcome to get in touch to discuss whether this approach feels appropriate for you. Appointments are available at Kite Clinic and Liberty London.
DISCOVER HOW ACUPUNCTURE COULD SUPPORT YOU
The areas below offer a guide to how treatment is approached across a range of common concerns.
Important note:
Acupuncture is offered here as a holistic and complementary therapy, drawing on Five-Element principles and informed by traditional Chinese medicine. Many people find it supportive, although responses vary and outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Claims about potential benefits depend on the condition and the quality of available research.
Evidence from observational studies and systematic reviews — including guidance from organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and, where relevant, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) — suggests that acupuncture may support wellbeing and help with certain symptoms. However, it should not be considered a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Each treatment is tailored to the individual, and experiences differ from person to person. If you have a medical condition or are under the care of a GP or specialist, please continue with your prescribed treatment plan. Acupuncture can be used alongside medical care, and it is advisable to discuss any changes with your healthcare provider.