Menopause Questions 3

I have always suffered from bad premenstrual tension. Does this mean I'm in for a miserable time at the menopause?

Not necessarily.
Although premenstrual tension and menopause symptoms are both due to changes in hormone balance, the monthly cycles at the menopause involves smaller levels of hormones, and progesterone disappears completely.
So the hormone changes may affect you quite differently.

On the other hand, pre-menstrual tension and the menopause can both be influenced by stressful situations and by your own feelings.

Menopause Questions 2

Can I get pregnant while I am taking HRT?

This depends entirely on whether your natural menopause has already occured.

If you went through the menopause before you started HRT, you should continue to use contraceptives for as long as your doctor recommends.
HRT does not increase your chances of getting pregnant, and it does not act as a contraceptive.

If you started HRT before your periods stopped, it will be difficult to know when you have stopped ovulating, as you will probably continue to have monthly periods due to the treatment.
In this case it may be safest to carry on using contraceptives until you are fifty-five.
Your doctor will advise you on this.

Menopause Questions 1

I started my periods quite young - when I was only eleven.
Does this mean I will have an early menopause?

No, not necessarily.
The age at which you first started menstruating doesn't seem to have any particular effect on when the menopause happens.

Aromatherapy

There are many other natural method which can help you manage the symptoms of menopause in a better way.

Aromatherapy for one, which uses the technique of massage with essential oils, helps to relieve menopausal symptoms.
During the massage, the aromas are perceived by the nerve endings in the nose, and signals are passed to the limbic system in the brain.
An important part of the limbic system governs the pituitary gland, which controls hormone release throughout the body.
Additionally, the small molecules of essential oils are absorbed through the skin. They then dissolve in the natural body fats and fluids. This allows them to flow around the body, to relax or stimulate, detoxify and regenerate.

Reduce stress levels

Reduce stress levels:
Acupuncture, meditation, and relaxation techniques are all harmless ways to reduce the stress of menopause and some people report great benefit from these practices.

Yoga can be a powerful tool for helping you experience the passage into menopause as a positive event, both physically and spiritually.
Because it works by balancing the endocrine system, yoga reduces the effects of menopause's hormonal changes.

Follow a sequence of poses to stimulate the ovaries and the pituitary gland to produce more hormones. It will have a calming, soothing, quieting effect on the nervous system and, if practiced regularly, will help ease menopausal symptoms.

Studies have shown that an increasing number of women are using acupuncture for menopausal symptoms, which uses a method of treatment that is directed to the balance of yin and yang, the active principle in nature. It is said to relieve symptoms such as headaches, sleep disruption, loss of concentration, mood swings and quality of life.

Meditation is the self-directed practice of calming the mind and subduing external stimuli to produce a stress-free state of deep relaxation and inner harmony. Meditation techniques may focus on breathing, a mantra, an image or a peaceful experience and will help relieve many of the menopausal tensions"

Exercise

Exercise:
Weight-bearing exercise like walking or aerobics helps protect against osteoporosis, which is one of the things that happens after menopause. All exercise, when practised on a regular basis, reduces your risk for heart disease and can lead to better sleep.

Researchers have found that women between the ages of 45 and 55 will gain weight regardless of whether they go through menopause or not at that age. Gaining weight is more due to too little exercise and too many calories. Exercise helps to control excess weight gain.

Low impact exercise like walking is as effective as high impact exercise like running in strengthening bones. Resistance exercise or lifting weights also helps. Since exercise improves balance and coordination, it may prevent future falls. Exercise will also relieve your muscle and joint pains and help you combat insomnia.

Try to exercise 30 minutes per day. But check with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program.

Coping with the Menopause

The smartest approach to menopause is to try the least harsh, most natural treatments first: change your diet, increase supplements, reduce stress levels, avoid caffeine and stop smoking – use acupuncture, herbs, massage and meditation first.

Dietary changes:
When selecting foods for health, a rule of thumb is this: the closer to the natural state, the healthier.
Include in your diet, whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, legumes, oatmeal, corn and baked potatoes in plenty.
Avoid flavorings such as butter. Instead, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are excellent fiber sources.
Cut back on the red meat and emphasize lean cuts as well as fish and chicken.

Studies have shown that some foods that contain phyto-estrogen help ease the symptoms of menopause caused by lack of estrogen. This remarkable substance actually acts like estrogen in the body by stimulating estrogen receptors on the cell walls in the skin, breast, uterus and vagina which is beneficial for menopausal women.
The estrogen-containing foods that have been found to raise blood levels of estrogen are: soy, tofu, linseed oil, black cohosh and red clover sprouts. Supplements containing this vital plant hormone may help you to restore the 'imbalances'.

Increase the intake of essential fatty acids (EFA). Balances of EFA will help direct your hormones, reduce vaginal dryness, and improve mental outlook. The balance includes Omega-3, Omega-6, and GLA.
Foods high in Omega-3 salmon, tuna, flax, and pumpkin seeds. Omega-6 is found in nuts, seeds, and soybeans.
GLA are found in evening primrose, black currant or borage oils. Wild yam extracts act as natural progesterone precursors and has been seen to be effective in relieving hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and insomnia.

Perimenopause

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the time period from when a woman's menses first become irregular until one year after menopause.

This transition can take many years. During the perimenopause, many women experience some of the menopause symptoms.

Fear of menopause.

Menopause is a state which most of the middle age women start dreading.
At around 45-55, sometimes earlier, a woman's ovaries run out of eggs.
At the same time, the ovaries stop making the female hormones - oestrogen and progesterone - which greatly influence a woman's health and personality.

Withdrawal symptoms are experienced. The most obvious is that periods become irregular, and then stop.

For 80 per cent of women, their temperature control system goes on the brink, causing hot flushes and sweat.
Feelings of listlessness, tiredness and irritability become common.

Feeling the various signs of ageing, including aches and pains, sudden wrinkles, dry hair and so on, will also increase.

Post-menopausal women are at greater risk of bad health in old age.
Osteoporosis (brittle bones), heart attacks and strokes are all common problems.

Visit NaturalMenopause.net for herbs that can help you cope with the symptoms of menopause.

Menopause and sexuality

Menopause marks the turning point in a woman’s life and all over the world there is a common belief that it also marks the end of a woman’s sex life. This is a misconception, actually post menopause could in fact be the golden years of a woman’s sex life.
However, there can be a marked decline in her sexual activity. And the reason for this is but obvious, due to reduction in oestrogen and progesterone, the vagina walls become thinner and lose their elasticity.
As a consequence a woman feels discomfort during intercourse. There can be irritation and predisposition to infection too, that may cause aversion to sex.

Solutions to this problem include:
Lubrication: The single best way to make sex more comfortable after menopause is the use of personal lubricants during sex.
Replacing the body's natural lubrication can make sex as exciting and rewarding as it was before. Your sexual organs are still sexually sensitive and will remain so through out your life.

Positive Thinking: Thinking positively about menopause is also important since it is the most meaningful time in a woman’s life that has some significant benefits.
Pregnancy is no longer possible and many women feel that this decreases their level of anxiety during sex. They find themselves more relaxed, so they enjoy the experience more.
Abstaining from sex during menstruation are no longer issues in a woman's life. As a result many women find menopause to be quite a relief. The shrinkage in the size of the vagina may mean that more direct stimulation takes place.
Lastly, a smaller vagina means more friction and closer contact with the nerves that produce sexual pleasure. Ageing can create a new range of sensations as long as couples learn how to adapt.

Hormone Treatments: Hormone replacement therapy is a way some women deal with menopausal side effects. This may or may not be an option for you. Ask your physician for the facts on this treatment possibility.

Most of all remember that the menopause does not have to be the end of your sexual life but a new beginning!

Hormones or Herbs?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been a bone of contention with menopausal women all over the world for years, and can put women at risk of developing a number of life-threatening conditions.

Now the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports the results of a research study with conclusions that I hope will prompt every woman taking oestrogen to reassess her treatment.

HRT increases risk of ovarian and breast cancer


The NCI study researched existing data from the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project, a screening programme that examined a total of 44,241 post-menopausal women in 29 clinical centres in the US, from 1979 through 1998. The NCI team designed its study to glean information that might associate HRT with ovarian cancer - an association that had previously been unclear.

With the research stacking up against HRT, hard decisions are in order for the millions of women who are experiencing the daunting difficulties of the menopause.

Some, will decide to take a chance with one of the hormone replacement therapies.
Others may be fortunate enough to be able to control their conditions with natural alternatives: using herbal remedies, for instance, such as dong quai, black cohosh, liquorice, red clover and chaste berry. Nutritional supplements of vitamins A, C and B complex, plus minerals like boron may also be effective. In addition, some women may find relief in yoga, acupuncture or special exercise regimens.

The important thing for women to know is that there are a number of ways they can cope with menopause naturally.
They don't work for all women, but these alternatives should be given a second look now that we know the choice of oestrogen may have even more dire consequences than we had previously suspected.

For more information on natural ways to manage menopause go to NaturalMenopause.net

Menopause thoughts..

Menopause is still considered to stop altogether a woman's chances of having a child, but with the introduction of Hormone Replacement Therapy it no longer necessarily means a sign of ageing.

This is great news for women of typical menopausal age who still feel as young as they did twenty years ago, and even better news for the very small group who reach a premature menopause in their twenties or thirties.

Whereas others are of the opinion that their menopause gives them a new sexual freedom. They are free from contraceptive worries, free from PMS and problem periods and they feel just great.

Now that hormone therapy is not a standard option because of the side effects associated with it, visit Natural Menopause to see what other options there are.

Relieve Menopause Symptoms by Eating well

Keeping to a healthy diet can do wonders for over all vitality and this in turn helps to give you greater resilience against any problems during the menopause.

Hot flushes may be reduced by taking vitamin E rich foods like wheat germ, nuts, eggs and olive oil.
Vitamin A, D, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium can help to prevent osteoporosis. Fish, drumstick leaves, ragi and dairy products are excellent source of calcium. Avoid eating raw bran, which inhibits calcium absorption and cut down on tea, coffee which promote the excretion of calcium.

Many women put on weight and increase the blood cholesterol level. To control body weight and blood cholesterol select low fat dairy foods and cut down on saturated fats like butter, cheese, and ghee.

Research has found that substances from plants called phytoestrogens might help to reduce the severity of hot flushes and other symptoms of the menopause.
Phytoestrogens, which mimic human oestrogen, are found mainly in soybeans and alfalfa sprouts.
Soya bean flour can be mixed with wheat flour for making bread or pancakes etc.
Other soya products are soymilk, tofu, and soy sauce.

Carrot and beet root juice is found very use full in menopausal disorders. Oats, corn, barley, brown rice, whole wheat are also excellent sources of phytoestrogens.
Regular exercise is also essential during this period.
Visit NaturalMenopause.net for information on herbs that help during the menopause.

Alternative to HRT?

Since the discovery two years ago of the risks involved with hormone replacement therapy, menopausal women have been looking for more alternatives to beat the symptoms of menopause.

Like many women, 53-year-old Donna Nowak was faced with decisions to deal with her menopausal symptoms.

'I have hot flashes, clamminess and night sweats. You wake up in the middle of the night and you're drenched,' Donna says.

She wasn't interested in taking any kind of prescription on an on going basis,
so she looked into alternative therapies like those offered at the Cleveland Clinic's integrated medicine office.

'I had one acupuncture session and from that point on I had no menopausal symptoms.'

While more study is needed, Donna's part of a growing number of women finding relief through acupuncture.

Dr. Tanya Edwards with the Cleveland Clinic says, 'we are finding that many patients have one or two treatments and their symptoms of irritability and hot flashes seem to go away.'

Donna went through nearly seven years of symptoms before finding relief. For those having trouble, holistic options may be worth a try.

'Any of the mind/body techniques such as imagery, self hypnosis, you name it can be very helpful for calming some of their frayed nerves that women get as their hormones in flux.'

Soy has also been found to be beneficial. Doctors say soy found in foods is better than supplements.
Make sure you're not allergic or sensitive to soy, in which case avoid.