I am feeling a little grumpy this week. Perimenopause, or pre-menopause transition, is the stage of a woman’s reproductive life that begins several years before her ovaries gradually begin to produce less estrogen. It usually starts in a woman’s 40s but can start in her 30s or even earlier. The average American woman’s life expectancy currently exceeds 80 years, and so most women can expect to live more than one-third of their lives well beyond their childbearing years, which means all women will have to deal with menopause.
Billions of dollars are spent each year on advertising targeted at the 40 million-plus women who are near or in the menopausal category. “I’ve worked with patients as young as 25 who have to manage hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms [of perimenopause],” says board-certified family physician Rob Kominiarek, DO, from Springboro, Ohio.
My own OB/GYN has already suggested evening Primrose Oil supplements as well as Black Cohosh herbs that replicate the estrogen sex hormones my body lacks now, and these supplements are not lab-made. Dr. Kominiarek suggests other more natural alternatives and healing remedies to supplement your body during these changes, and keep in mind: The Food & Drug Administration thus far does not regulate herbs and remedies.
Here are some alternatives to estrogen therapy that will help decrease the intensity and frequency of hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats:
• Black Cohosh (20 milligrams twice daily)
• Soy Isoflavone (50-100 mg twice daily)
• Estroven is a combination product of black cohosh, soy isoflavones, magnolia bark, melatonin, ginkgo biloba and L-theanine and B vitamins
• Vitamin E (15 mg daily)
• Evening Primrose Oil (500-1000 mg twice daily)
• Vitamin D3 (2000 IU daily)
• Flax seed (1-2 tablespoons daily)
• Soy milk, tofu, edamame
• Regular exercise
If you’ve suffered unexplainable insomnia or wild PMS symptoms, ask your doctor or health care provider to test your estrogen levels, like mine did. And get help—you are not going crazy!
Tags: coffee and nutrition, handmade, menopause, natural beauty, natural solutions