Supporting Peri-menopause, Naturally
Peri-menopause is NOT a disease, or medical condition. It is a natural transition every woman will experience. This is a sacred transition from our reproductive years transitioning into wisdom. This is a time where women need support, nourishment, and creative expression. Yes, many will experience some uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, but there are natural solutions to help ease this transition.
Peri-menopause usually happens during our late 30’s to early 40’s, where women will start to have irregularities in their periods such as irregular in how often they will come, heavier periods, or lighter periods. Once a woman does not have a period for 12 months straight; they will be in menopause. Most common lab work to check the status of your hormones changes includes Thyroid panel (TSH, fT3, fT4, thyroid antibodies, T3, T4), estradial, testererone (free), progesterone, Adrenal health through salivary testing and cortisol levels, SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin), DHEA-s, estrogen metabolites, and Vitamin D3. These labs are important to write down and ask your provider to order to check in on your hormone levels, especially if you are starting to experience hormonal changes, or irregularities in your period cycle.
Most of the time, a woman will know their body is starting to change because of increased hot flashes, irritability, slower metabolism and weight gain in the middle, joint aches, brain fog, lower libido, or lower energy may gradually increase; if they have a difficult time transitioning. Peri-menopause and Menopause are a natural transition, suffering from these symptoms in one’s daily life is not. Just because it is normal and common does not make it healthy. I have seen women in the clinic during these transitions and usually one, or more, body systems have been out of balance for sometime, which has lead to more severe Peri-menopause transitions. We are going to talk a little about how these hormonal transitions affect the body and mind alongside some natural ways to support the transition. Balancing hormones is NOT a one size fits all. Just because one thing may work for one woman does not mean it will work for her girlfriends. Everyone is different and it may take trying a few things to get some relief from these symptoms.
Herbal Medicine For Peri-menopause and Menopause:
Menopause is an important time to take female tonics alongside nervine herbs. For generations, herbal medicine and nutritional recipes were past down from generation to generation. The wisdom and healing ability for women was transitioned among generations as a rite of passage. Many of these traditions and knowledge of healing have been lost. Herbal medicine is medicine. Each herbal medicine has a specific purpose and supplies healing vitamin and nutrients. Female tonic herbs are very nutritive during perimenopause specific for the female organs that are transitioning. Nervine herbs help calm the nervous system. Adaptogenic Herbs help us adapt to the stress of life and ease with transition. When we experience peri-menopause, our ovaries start to decrease estrogen and progesterone production and the adrenal glands start to make up the difference. Before menopause, the adrenal glands make 5% of sex hormones and after menopause will make 90%. Nervines and adaptogens help women adapt to the stress of change.
Black Cohosh has been known to help decrease and manage hot flashes. It is important to follow the instructions on the product bottle, or under the guidance of your Licensed Herbalist. Caution: Do not take when have high blood pressure.
Vitex known as Chaste Berry Tree helps balance out hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. It has been widely used for ammenorrhea (no periods) and can be helpful for those going through Peri-menopause too young, or after a partial hysterectomy. Vitex does increase Estrogen so if you have a history of breast cancer, do not take it. For the most part, Vitex is safe to take and must be taken for at least 3 months to see full effect.
Adaptogenic Herbs: I highly encourage keeping herbal medicine simple and using only one adaptogenic herb at a time. Adaptogenic Herbs include Ashwaganda Root, Astragulus Root, Holy Basil, Rhodiola, Schisandra berry, are some options. Most are safe to take for about 2-3 months. It is important to rotate the herbal medicine because one’s body will get use to it. Some herbal products will have many adaptogenic herbs mixed together with adrenal gland sourced from animals.
Nutrition is key to supporting peri-menopause. It is important to eat 80% of our nutrition as whole foods, while eating locally, in season, and rotating food options. Foods that help with Peri-menopause transition include beets, carrots, orange juice, spinach, amarnath, okra, hibiscus, nopal, blue-green algae, seaweeds. Bee pollen can supply the B-vitamins needed to boost energy. Mushrooms and black-beans support Adrenal health and immune system. Fish 2-3 times a week, or a omega-3 fish oil supplement. Sugar and alcohol can increase hot flashes. Balancing sugar levels will help balance hormones and decrease frequency of hot flashes.
Vaginal dryness: this will have to be an entire blog post. Vaginal dryness usually happens with decreased estrogen, which leaves the vaginal tissues to thin and decrease in mucus production to moisten. There are tons of lubes, creams, and other products to help out with this. E3: estrogen cream is useful for vaginal dryness, which can be prescribed by your OB-Gyn, Midwife, or doctor.
Hormone Replacement Therapy: is when synthetic hormones are used but are NOT natural. While hormonal replacement therapy is not in my scope of practice, I will sometimes refer patients to other providers who do. I highly recommend NOT getting synthetic hormones because of the increase risk of cancers.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) use bioidentical products that are similar to the structure of hormones we make from our bodies. Progesterone helps decrease the risk for breast cancer while progestin (synthetic) increases the risk of breast cancer. If one is going to use BHRT, it is important to consult with an OB-Gyn, D.O., or N.D., trained in women’s health and BHRT. There is no “cure” of menopause. There are different types of hot flashes and each women has different needs to be supported during this transition. BHRT is used for the a lifetime, or until the transition of menopause is complete.
Magnesium glycinerate can help with sluggish bowels, constipation, and dull ache joints. Constipation makes hot flashes worst because our Liver breaks down the excess hormones and we poop out the rest. If our system is backed up; then, these hormones can recirculate into our body and create increase discomfort. Healthy bowel movements are daily 1-2x/day, well-formed, brown, banana shaped, feels complete, and easy to release once you sit down.
Acupuncture helps manage the transition of hormones and may decrease the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Studies have shown Acupuncture to help decrease hot flashes in 70-95% of women, who were undergoing breast-cancer treatment. They would go 3 times a week for 4 weeks for Acupuncture and have the lasting affects for about 1 month after treating, while still undergo chemo and radiation (1). Acupuncture has been shown to decrease hot flashes at night (2). Acupuncture does help decrease any inflammation for joint aches, increase energy levels, decrease brain fog, calm irritability, and much more.
When trying to balance between the transition of Peri-menopause, it is important to give any new treatments time. Keep it simple. May you find relief during this sacred time.
Resources:
Jeong, Y. J., Park, Y. S., Kwon, H. J., Shin, I. H., Bong, J. G., & Park, S. H. (2013). Acupuncture for the treatment of hot flashes in patients with breast cancer receiving antiestrogen therapy: a pilot study in Korean women. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 19(8),690–696. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2012.0347
https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(06)01005-3/fulltext