PEMF has been studied for some postmenopausal conditions and symptoms and can potentially benefit postmenopausal women. Menopause is inevitable for a woman, it is certainly not a disease, infection, or injury. Menopause can’t be avoided but declining health can be! The symptomatic effects of menopause are far reaching, and many structures and systems can be affected including bones, muscles, brain, cardiovascular system and the pelvic organs.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields have been studied to support some of the conditions and symptoms of menopause including osteoporosis, headaches, stress, sleep disturbances and more. Clinical research has been ongoing for some menopause related conditions, mainly osteoporosis and osteopenia in menopausal women. Let us learn more about menopause and see how PEMF could help.
What is Menopause?
Menopause marks the end of the reproductive years and is a natural part of ageing. It usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age when a year passes without having had a menstrual period. According to The North American Menopause Society, the average age for a woman to reach menopause is 51.
Menopause arrives after a period of gradually declining levels of female sex hormones called Perimenopause. It happens when ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone estrogen and no longer release ovulate each month. There is also a decrease in progesterone levels and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). You can expect this pre-menopausal stage to last anything from a few months up to 10 years. This period of fluctuating hormonal levels is when symptoms are most likely to be experienced.
Premature Menopause
Premature or early menopause can occur at any age, and in many cases, there is no clear cause. Sometimes it’s caused by a treatment such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy). Some breast cancer treatments (chemotherapy or radiotherapy) will catapult you into menopause or it can be brought on by an underlying condition, such as Down’s syndrome or Addison’s disease. Early onset presents its own unique challenges, and long-term health consequences such as osteoporosis are more likely.
Most women will experience some symptoms around the menopause, but the age of onset, duration and severity varies greatly from woman to woman. This results in confusion and uncertainty. Some women will proudly announce that they ‘got away with it’ suffering only mild symptoms, yet others suffer with heroic levels of determination. For some women a medley of Menopause symptoms leads them to wonder whether there is something seriously wrong with them!
There are many actions one can take to prevent and mitigate these health challenges including diet and lifestyle changes, exercise, supplements, and therapies under professional guidance. There is a clear consensus that lifestyle management strategies make a huge contribution to ability to improve menopause symptoms; both in the long and short term. PEMFs can also play a supportive role as a complementary therapy for managing menopause symptoms. Not only is it an anti-aging technology, it has also clinical studies that show positive benefits in conditions such as osteoporosis which
PEMF Therapy for Menopausal Symptoms and Conditions
As per available research, PEMF can be skillfully applied for most symptoms of menopause. In the below list, you can find further reading resources on the benefits of PEMF therapy for menopause symptoms and conditions. We’ve presented the commonly known symptoms of menopause and the relevant PEMF therapy research articles that discuss the application in more detail.
Symptoms of Menopause and PEMF therapy
Night sweats, hot flushes, irregular heartbeat
Hot flashes can occur due to low estrogen levels and also from hyperthyroidism. While PEMF has been researched for hypothyroidism, there is little evidence on its use for hyperthyroidism. PEMF therapy is also being researched for heart health and hypertension at low intensities.
Disrupted sleep, fatigue; Refer to PEMF therapy for sleep research review.
Digestive problems, bloating, weight gain; PEMF is an excellent tonic for the digestive system due to its anti-inflammatory action. Learn more in this research review article on PEMF for nutrition, digestive system and gut health.
Muscle tension, joint pains, electric shocks, tingling; PEMF therapy has been researched and found to be beneficial for many musculoskeletal pain conditions including arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic back pain.
Osteoporosis
There have been some clinical trials specifically to study the effects of PEMF therapy for Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). In elderly women with PMOP, low bone density and fragility have been proven to significantly increase risk of fractures. Currently, many steroidal and hormone replacement therapies are being prescribed in an attempt to retain healthy bone mass and strength. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) which has been proven for benefits in treating patients with delayed fracture healing and non-union bone fractures, may turn out to be another potential and complementary therapy for PMOP. 1
In 2015, scientists from the prestigious Cairo University conducted a clinical trial to study the effects of low-frequency low-intensity PEMF and circuit weight training (CWT) program in elderly women. In this 12-week study, they concluded that PEMF therapy was more effective than CWD programs in improving bone mineral density. 2
In 2018, Italian scientists conducted a pilot study to learn about the metabolic effects of PEMF for postmenopausal osteoporosis. 3
Also in 2018, Chinese scientists collaborating from departments of rehabilitation, endocrinology and radiology published that Pulsed electromagnetic field is an effective physiotherapy in postmenopausal women, and this effect may, at least in part, regulate the amount of fat within the bone marrow.4
In another study, scientists from China studied the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and found that the PEMF group showed improvements in pain levels, quality of life, and bone health.5
Our research review article on PEMF therapy for osteoporosis provides further evidence if you’re interested to learn more on this topic.
Itchy skin, hair loss, brittle nails, allergies, body odor; Refer to our research reviews articles on skin health and allergies.
Anxiety, depression, panic disorder; poor concentration; PEMF therapy has shown to reduce depression, anxiety and improve brain health. It is an important brain stimulation technology used by athletes. It is also a neuroprotective and has applications in neurorehabilitation as well. In menopause related mental and brain health issues, PEMF could play a pivot role in stimulating recovery.
Headaches, dizzy spells; Read this research review on how PEMF can help reduce headaches and migraines.
Stress incontinence
In 2016, scientists from Australia and Malaysia collaboratively conducted a randomized double-blind clinical study to learn about the efficacy of PEMF for stress urinary incontinence and concluded that with long term use (32 sessions/14 months) of PEMF is an attractive alternative treatment for stress urinary incontinence.6
Burning Mouth, Gum Problems
In research review on the efficacy of low-level laser therapy for burning mouth syndrome, it was concluded that LLLT is effective in reducing pain in BMS patients.7
PEMF has also been found to improve bone formation after dental implant. 8
Further studies could highlight the benefits of PEMF for gums and BMS, it is not out of scope of future PEMF research on menopause symptoms. There are other menopause conditions such as UTIs, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, irregular periods, and breast soreness where PEMFs could use some
more research.
Conclusions
The benefits of PEMF therapy are well documented; and now research consistently supports PEMF as an effective treatment for several Menopause symptoms. PEMF also contributes to the prevention and management of long-term health conditions associated with the Menopause including osteoporosis. It has a huge potential for further research and studies to combat the plethora of symptoms and lasting health challenges that menopause brings. Menopause doctors can certainly consider exploring PEMF as it has proven to be an excellent non-invasive complementary therapy.
References
1. Zhu S, He H, Zhang C, et al. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Bioelectromagnetics. 2017;38(6):406-424. doi:10.1002/bem.22065
2. Elsisi H, Mousa G, ELdesoky M. Electromagnetic field versus circuit weight training on bone mineral density in elderly women. Clin Interv Aging. 2015;10:539-547. doi:10.2147/CIA.S78485
3. Catalano A, Loddo S, Bellone F, Pecora C, Lasco A, Morabito N. Pulsed electromagnetic fields modulate bone metabolism via RANKL/OPG and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: A pilot study. Bone. 2018;116:42-46. doi:10.1016/j.bone.2018.07.010
4. Li S, Jiang H, Wang B, et al. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Evaluating the Effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields on Marrow Adiposity in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2018;42(5):792-797. doi:10.1097/RCT.0000000000000757
5. Liu W, Jin X, Guan Z, Zhou Q. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Affects the Development of Postmenopausal Osteoporotic Women with Vertebral Fractures. Hidalgo-García C, ed. BioMed Research International. Published online July 16, 2021:1-9. doi:10.1155/2021/4650057
6. Lim R, Liong M, Leong W, Khan N, Yuen K. Magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:279. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0803-1
7. Al-Maweri S, Javed F, Kalakonda B, AlAizari N, Al-Soneidar W, Al-Akwa A. Efficacy of low level laser therapy in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome: A systematic review. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2017;17:188-193. doi:10.1016/j.pdpdt.2016.11.017
8. Barak S, Matalon S, Dolkart O, Zavan B, Mortellaro C, Piattelli A. Miniaturized Electromagnetic Device Abutment Improves Stability of the Dental Implants. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Published online June 2019:1055-1057. doi:10.1097/scs.0000000000004763