The menopause is a natural phase in which a woman’s fertility draws to a close and menstruation stops. The last period usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 with an average of 51, but the whole process really starts several years before, as the ovaries start running out of eggs. As a result, levels of the female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, start to fall until too little are produced to maintain the menstrual cycle.
Symptoms
Some women quickly adjust to lower sex hormone levels and notice few (if any) problems. Others find it harder to lose their hormones and experience symptoms such as:
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Anxiety and low mood
- Poor memory and concentration
- Loss of self-esteem
- Headaches
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability and mood swings
- Tiredness.
- As time passes, other symptoms can develop, such as dry, itchy skin, low sex drive, muscle and joint aches and urinary problems, including stress incontinence and cystitis.
Lack of oestrogen also affects the circulation and bones, increasing the risk of hardening and furring up of the arteries, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, heart attack, osteoporosis and some forms of dementia.
The menopause doesn’t have to cause troublesome problems, however, if you look after your diet and lifestyle and consider taking prescribed hormone replacement therapy or using a natural alternative.
HRT
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supplies natural or synthetic oestrogen plus, for women who have not had a hysterectomy, a synthetic form of progesterone hormone (progestogen) to prevent over-stimulation of the womb lining.
HRT restores oestrogen levels to their pre-menopausal range and relieves hot flushes and night sweats. There is a move towards prescribing it for as short a time as possible to minimise any associated increased risk of breast cancer. In fact, researchers from the University of California have found the recent fall in incidence of breast cancer perfectly mirrors the decline in use of HRT. If you are unwilling, or unable to take HRT, a number of dietary and lifestyle changes can help to relieve menopausal symptoms.
Nutrition
Oestrogen-like plant hormones are found in many plants. Although the action of these substances (isoflavones, flavonoids and lignans) is up to a thousand times weaker than human oestrogen, they still provide a useful natural hormone boost when your oestrogen levels are low. To increase your intake of natural plant hormones, aim to eat more:
- Beans: Especially chickpeas, lentils, alfalfa and mung beans, soy beans and soy products.
- Vegetables: Dark green leafy vegetables (eg broccoli, spinach, cabbage) and exotic members of the cruciferous family (eg Chinese leaves, kohl rabi), celery and fennel.
- Nuts: Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts and nut oils.
- Seeds: Especially linseed (flax), pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and sprouted seeds.
- Wholegrains: Especially corn, buckwheat, millet, oats, rye and wheat.
- Fresh fruits: Including apples, avocados, bananas, mangoes, papayas and rhubarb.
- Dried fruits: Dates, figs, prunes and raisins.
- Culinary herbs: Angelica, chervil, chives, garlic, ginger, parsley, rosemary and sage.
As well as reducing menopausal symptoms, isoflavones mimic some of the beneficial effects of natural oestrogen to help reduce your risk of a heart attack or osteoporosis.
You should also consider:
- Eating more fish: Especially oily fish or take omega 3 fish oil supplements.
- Reducing your intake of saturated fat: use low-fat versions of dairy products.
- Drinking an extra pint of semi-skimmed or skimmed milk per day for calcium.
- Avoiding excess sugar, saturated fat, alcohol, salt and caffeinated drinks.
Best Supplements
- Sage: Sage leaf extracts can relieve menopausal hot flushes and night sweats. They are also used traditionally to improve memory.
- Soy Isoflavones: Soy isoflavones can reduce hot flushes and have been shown to help dilate coronary arteries, increase heart function, reduce raised LDL-cholesterol levels (typically by 10%) and reduce blood stickiness to prevent unwanted clotting. They also have a beneficial effect on bone mineral density.
- EPO/Starflower/GLA: Evening primrose and starflower oils supply gamma linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that acts as a building block for making sex hormones. It also improves dry, itchy skin, can reduce breast pain and can improve calcium deposition in bones.
- Calcium/Vitamin D: Calcium and vitamin D supplements help to improve bone mineral density and can reduce the risk of fracture of the spine and hip.
- St John’s Wort: St John’s Wort helps to lift a low mood that can occur around the time of the menopause. It is also helpful in overcoming low sex drive and physical exhaustion in menopausal women. Check with a pharmacist if you are taking other prescribed medications to rule out any drug-herb interactions.
- Cranberry: Cranberry extracts contain substances known as anti-adhesins, which help to stop bacteria from sticking to cells lining the urinary tract wall. As a result, they are more easily flushed away to reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections after the menopause.
- Folic acid: Folic acid helps to maintain a healthy heart by lowering levels of homocysteine an amino acid linked with an increased risk of hardening and furring up of the arteries. Folic acid may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and some forms of dementia.
Top 10 tips
- Wear layers you can peel off during hot flushes.
- Drink plenty of water to improve dry skin.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods which can provoke hot flushes.
- Use a lubricant to ease vaginal dryness.
- If you smoke, do your utmost to stop, as smoking reduces oestrogen levels further and also increases your risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis. As smoking lowers oestrogen levels further on average smokers go through the menopause two years earlier than non-smokers.
- Avoid excess stress, which drains the adrenal glands so they are unable to produce their normal tiny amounts of sex hormones to help even out menopausal symptoms.
- Reduce your salt intake by avoiding obviously salty foods and not adding salt during cooking or at the table use herbs for flavour instead.
- Lose excess weight.
- Take regular exercise.
- Keep a fan next to your bed to help keep you cool at night.
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