There may be a tendency to weepiness for no good reason that makes its appearance, which is disconcerting. Women, who previously were assertive, may lose their self-assurance over-night and their memory and concentration declines markedly. Disorientation can become a regular feature too. There is some unwelcome weight-gain that is noticed by women after the onset of what they aptly call their change of life.

A few women even experience flatulence and a change in their bowel habits at the menopause. There often also follows a fairly substantial loss of sexual appetite. For a few this ordeal is over in a few months, but for some unfortunate ladies, this state of affairs can persist for a number of years. Of course, all this ceases in time without hormonal treatment.

Because the sum of these symptoms can be so very distressing, many women opt for HRT which can bring about a complete cessation of all these symptoms (except weight-gain). Yet the fear of breast or ovarian cancer associated with HRT is often so great that women will go off the HRT and endure the raft of symptoms described above. However, my advice over the years has been to these women: to switch to the plant estrogens that provide effective amelioration without the dreaded possible adverse consequences.

Harald C Gaier Naturopathic Physician can be contacted via his website at www.drgaier.com

Of course, there are as many views on the menopause as are women experiencing it because the one thing that is very clear from all our contributors is that although some of the symptoms are shared, every woman’s experience is unique.

I personally have found it very inspiring to realise how much help and support and information there is now available on natural bio-identical hormones.  It is so very different from when I first began to investigate them many years ago and, indeed, it was that which led me to found the Natural Progesterone Information Service in order to pass on the information to other women.

I was lucky enough to work with the late John Lee by helping to promote his groundbreaking work on natural progesterone and to facilitate with him on stage in London to answer the many questions that women in the audience had.  He was always an inspiration, and I’m sure would have been delighted to see how readily women have taken his information and pass it on.  I am also sure he would have shook his head wonderingly at how few doctors still remain to be convinced!

I began the month with a quote from Leslie Kenton and I would like to end with the same one:

“Power, energy and freedom are the rewards of a natural menopause.”

I hope this message inspires and encourages any woman going through the menopause to see it not as a burden but a challenge that can be joyfully — if warmly — embraced!

AnnA Rushton – Editor Bio Hormone Health

“Hormone Replacement Therapy is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease in menopausal women by up to 50%, however it may increase the risk of breast cancer by the same degree.”  Always pay attention to the ‘however’ in any statement it’s usually the most important part.

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Trivia

It seems the average life expectancy for US women today is 84 years which means that many women spend around 50% of their adult life as a menopausal or post-menopausal female.   If that is the case, then it definitely pays you to take the most positive attitude — and as much chocolate as possible — to make the transition smooth!

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Quote

“Is it called menopause, because every time a woman who’s menopausal hears a man speak, she needs to pause or she’ll clobber him?”

(Unknown male!)

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Trivia

In case you were wondering, it was in 1812 (otherwise famous for that Overture), that the term ‘menopause’ was first used by the French physician, C P L de Gardanne.

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Quote

“Rock and menopause do not mix. It is not good, it sucks and every day I fight it to the death, or, at the very least, not let it take me over.”

Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)

My symptoms started slowly when I was about 50. Hot flushes were first and they were very annoying. They seemed to start somewhere inside and then travel to the surface of my body – not pleasant. This was accompanied by mood swings and forgetfulness, as well as aches and pains. I wanted some thing to gat rid of them but didn’t want to try Hormone Replacement Therapy, especially when I was told it came from horses’ urine!

It seems to me that the menopause needs a natural approach. We all have choices and there are numerous natural supplements that can be tried, including herbal remedies etc. I have tried many of these, but for me Serenity natural progesterone cream worked to alleviate many of the unwanted menopausal symptoms, and unlike HRT it doesn’t have any side effects apart from positive ones. I recommend it to all my friends who want to rid themselves of hot flushes, mood swings etc, and they are extremely grateful.

I also believe that the mind plays an important role and has a big influence on how we feel. This has been proved many times.  Just think how you feel when a friend says “ Are you ok? You don’t look too good”.   But you are feeling fine. If a second person says the same thing to you, you will actually begin to feel unwell !

So stay positive, eat a fairly healthy diet, exercise in moderation, use the natural remedies that help you, chat with sympathetic friends and just think no more periods. And remember it’s only a natural change.

There are several clues

Firstly, the fact that the shorter or more abrupt the menopause, the more severe tend to be the unwanted symptoms.

Secondly, the significant overlap between the symptoms of post-natal depression (PND), premenstrual tension (PMS), and the menopause.

Thirdly, the 4 to 1 women to men ratio in the incidence of some autoimmune diseases, with a higher than average incidence occurring during the menopausal years.

These observations suggest that these symptoms are not directly due to the effects of the hormones themselves, but to the change in the levels and balance of hormones, and to the rate of change; that in PND being the most abrupt, and in natural menopause the most gradual.

The Emotional Context

How can we explain the appearance of these symptoms across the female life cycle, in what appears to be a continuum of vulnerability in some women but not in others?  This picture suggests that at times of significant hormonal change, painful emotions that have been experienced then suppressed in earlier life, surface into conscious awareness as the body loses some of its power to ‘keep them under wraps’.  Thus the menopause is a natural event, of itself symptom-free, that allows the release of symptoms that could be seen as a form of post traumatic stress disorder.

These ideas are supported by the findings of the ongoing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study in San Diego, California, which reveals a powerful relationship between our emotional experiences as children (especially those we have never talked about) and not only our adult emotional health, but our physical health also, including the major causes of mortality.  This study compares adult health levels with eight categories of adverse childhood experience, – three of personal abuse (recurrent physical, recurrent emotional, and sexual abuse); and five categories related to growing up in a dysfunctional household, including alcohol and drug use, chronic depression and other mental illness, violence to the mother, and where separation, illness or other factors have caused a parent to be lost to the person during childhood.

The findings were that these traumatic experiences are not only hugely more common than recognized or acknowledged, but that they also share a remarkable correlation with adult health over 50 years later, being closely linked to smoking, alcoholism, depression, obesity, high blood pressure and many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and even bone fractures.

It is not difficult to see the same connection between childhood trauma and the emotional symptoms of PND, PMS and menopause, and then again with the physical symptoms of menopause. Metaphysically, the link between hot flushes and repressed shame and guilt is intuitively apparent, while many situations in both childhood and later life, (especially those that are ‘unspeakable’), lead to sadness and regret that cannot be dissolved with an antidepressant. The often-taboo subject of vaginal atrophy – the thinning of the vaginal lining which is usually remediable by local estrogen – can lead to vaginal and bladder infections and on to irreversible damage. Here lies the link between inflammation and anger, itching and frustration, dryness and atrophy and loss of joy and self esteem.

Of course, it is never too late to go back in time with intent to heal the past; but the menopause is perhaps the last window of opportunity where what needs to be healed will be presented so clearly in the form of emotional and physical symptoms. The therapeutic means to do this are developing all the time beyond counselling and cognitive therapies to energy psychologies such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Psyche-K and Supercoherence Therapy www.supercoherencereturntolove.com

In my view, the most important ’self help’ is to find a spiritual path that leads to a higher understanding and forgiveness of self and of others. This is really the ‘golden opportunity’ that menopause offers.

Women over 35 urgently need trustworthy information about the biochemical, emotional, spiritual and physical changes which accompany the most profound transition in their lives as well as about how health and energy can be sustained, regained and renewed as they approach mid-life.  Women also need new maps for menopause – maps that can guide one out of the desert of fear into a land of new self-created opportunities for living fully ones own truth, individuality and power.

Until the climacteric a woman’s creativity is biological.  Whatever her political views, whether or not she chooses to bear children, she exists primarily to propagate the species. Every hormone in a woman’s is geared up to make her this and this alone – the nurturer, the self-sacrificer – someone who is forever required to conduct her life according to external values.  After menopause all this changes.  She owes no further debt to children, husbands, lovers, or the species.  Her creativity, her energy and her power become transmuted and for the first time in her life belong the her alone to do with what she will.

In my own work with menopause, I have tried to create maps for transformation – both physical and spiritual as well as a practical advice for making what I believe to be the most  exciting and significant passage in every woman’s life this as smooth as possible.  In no way should we women avoid exploring the darkness which accompanies such a profound metamorphosis nor the hidden treasures that are to be found in such darkness.  Yet I celebrate the climacteric and of the new sense of power, energy, buoyant health and individuality that can bring to any woman willing to let go of the fear and nonsense we have been taught to believe about it.

Far from being something to fear or ‘cope with’ the climacteric in a healthy woman becomes a bridge to the highest order of freedom, self-confidence and energy she can ever experience.  Such freedom is of an order that most of us, in our child-bearing years have only dared to dream about.

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Leslie Kenton is the author of many health books including Ten Steps To A Natural Menopause and Passage To Power, a powerful description of how to be empowered during menopause.  To find out about more about her work go to her website at www.lesliekenton.com

In the 1950’s doctors and the drug companies decided that the problems some women have at the time of the menopause were due to a lack of estrogen and so it was given to these women.  Sadly, many of whom then went on to develop uterine cancer because the uterus was not protected with progesterone. This led the drug companies to produce a chemical progestogen to try and prevent this, instead of using the body’s natural hormone progesterone to protect the uterus.   The progestogen did this very well, but unfortunately increased the effect that estrogen has in producing breast cancer.  A classic case of solving one problem and creating another.

Many of the problems associated with the menopause can be dealt with by adjustments to life style and the use of herbal remedies and supplements. If these are not sufficient and hormonal treatment is needed it should be with bio-identical hormones and only for as long as the women needs them which is rarely life long.

The menopause can be a time when women experience problems but it is not compulsory and certainly many women do not do so. It should be seen as a liberating time with no more periods, no more pregnancies, a chance for a woman to be herself and do her own thing.

To help minimise the impact of menopause and ease the uncomfortable side effects, there are number of ways in which women can help maintain healthy hormonal levels. The first step is to eat as healthy a balanced diet as possible, rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry, pulses, wholegrains, nuts, and seeds, and try to eliminate, salt, red meat, processed foods, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, and also smoking.   Regular exercise is a must, since it helps to keep hormones stable, and helps with nutrient absorption.

The Benefit of AHigh Strength Multinutrient:

If you’re in doubt about your nutritional intake, top-up your diet with a high strength multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure you’re getting all the important nutrients needed for all-round health and wellbeing.   Ensure your choice of supplement includes Vitamin K, essential for bone mineralisation and rebuilding of joints when estrogen levels decline during the menopause, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.  Also, Folic Acid, which research shows can help maintain a healthy heart and reduces the risk of stroke, another condition which is more likely to occur after the menopause.  It is also important to ensure a high intake of Vitamin E, as this vitamin helps maintain a healthy heart; it also reduces the uncomfortable condition of vaginal dryness, which commonly occurs in menopausal women.

Red Clover:

There are a number of scientific studies showing that red clover may help relieve menopausal symptoms and, in particular, hot flashes.  Our ancestors typically used it for many complaints, but today we use it primarily for dealing with menopausal symptoms, and many choose to use it as an alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).  Red clover contains large amounts of a group of compounds called isoflavones, a type of phyto-estrogen, which mimic the effect of the female sex hormone estrogen.  The plant estrogens are believed to be the key to red clover’s ability to modify symptoms of the menopause.  Studies show that a red clover supplement can reduce menopausal symptoms, if the content is over 40mg.

Additionally, two specific isoflavones, Genistein and Daidzein, possess the ability to help lower the risk of heart disease, and prevent osteoporosis, other problems associated with the menopause, so be sure to check that the red clover supplement you are taking contains both these constituents.

Sage:

The herb sage is also highly beneficial for those experiencing hot sweats caused by the menopause; this is due to the herb’s volatile oils, which possess special anti-perspiring properties.   Also, since sage possesses no hormonal actions, it is safe to use alongside HRT, other hormonal based treatment and other herbal remedies.   Be sure to select a sage supplement though that’s high strength, including 300mg of pure powered herb per capsule.

Soya:

Soya beans and soya foods contain the most significant dietary source of isoflavones, compounds that research confirms help maintain the health of our hearts, breasts, and bones.  It is also exceptionally efficacious at helping minimise the distressing affects of the menopause, including over-heating.    Interestingly, Asian women, who eat a diet high in soya foods, do not suffer any of the side effects from the menopause, suffered by western women!

A daily intake of soya isoflavones is also exceptionally beneficial for those wishing to protect their bones against osteoporosis.  This common, progressive condition causes the bones to become weak and brittle, and tends to affect us in middle age.  Post-menopausal women are particularly at risk, as estrogen levels decline. Take at least 40mg of soya isoflavones daily, preferably in a supplement that provides the whole goodness of the soya bean.

Ginkgo Biloba:

The extract taken from the leaves of the Ginkgo Biloba tree contains two active substances, flavone glycosides and terpene lactones, both of which are thought to be responsible for the herb’s health promoting benefits.  These components possess powerful antioxidant properties that counter the effects of free radicals, believed to cause premature ageing and dementia.  Modern research confirms that Ginkgo Biloba helps improve memory function, enhances concentration, and improves cognitive impairment; often a problem for those going through the menopause.

It is also known to help those suffering from anxiety, depression, or poor circulation, and also assists with healthy ageing, helping to guard against cardiovascular and liver disease and cares for the brain and central nervous system by improving the delivery of oxygen and glucose to nerve cells.  It is important to choose a standardised supplement that provides 120mg of Ginkgo Biloba extract, to ensure you are taking a therapeutic dose of this herbal remedy.”

Information Supplied By Julie Lamble,Qualified Nutritional Biochemist and State-Registered Nutritionist for vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements company, Lifeplan Products Limited

For further information, Julie Lamble can be contacted at Lifeplan Products Limited on 01455 556281,   enquiries@lifeplan.co.uk or visit the company website www.lifeplan.co.uk.

I’m not talking about a flabby fat-laden, carbohydrate-and-high insulin-induced belly that creates multi-layerd muffin tops; or a pregnancy-like bloated constipation belly; or the low pooch of a high cortisol stress-induced belly; I’m talking about the normal roundness of belly that comes with middle age and menopause, that’s nearly impossible to get rid of, even with diet and exercise.

As we approach our 50s, the ovaries wind down their production of progesterone and estrogen, but they keep making androgens (male hormones) well into our 70s. Belly fat converts androgens into estrogen, in both men and women. (Which is why men with a lot of belly fat start to look, well… feminine.)

Although excessive estrogen can predispose women to breast and uterine cancer, the amount created by a little menopausal belly fat is often just enough to maintain good skin tone, keep the brain clicking, create some vaginal lubrication and encourage bone maintenance. It’s the thin menopausal woman with a flat belly who is most likely to have hot flashes, wrinkles, brain fog, vaginal dryness and thinning bones.

The “Blue Zone” episodes on Oprah showcased cultures worldwide with the longest-lived and healthiest populations. These vignettes of rural mountain communities focused primarily on thin, muscular old men who had spent their lives working outside. The old women were there in the background and while their arms were thin and muscled, they were universally thick around the middle.

I did some research on body weight and death rates in older women. Sure enough, it’s well established that once you’re menopausal, falling into the “overweight” category reduces your risk of death. Again, it’s important to make the distinction between overweight and obese. At any age, obesity will increase your risk of dying.

I agree that if you’re 30 or even 40 and have significant belly fat, that’s unhealthy and is probably due to poor diet and lack of exercise. But a bit of a belly in a menopausal woman is undoubtedly a feature of healthy aging.

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Virginia Hopkins worked for many years with Dr John Lee on his books and articles.  Since his death, she has set up Healthwatch whose mission is to educate women and men about the safe use of bioidentical (natural) hormones, and to share helpful, useful and commonsense information about health and nutrition based on solid scientific research. Virginia Hopkins Health Watch Newsletter can be found at her website www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com

World Menopause Month is an opportunity to focus not only on research, but also on the treatment options that may benefit menopause related conditions and symptoms by educating women about menopause and the benefits of preventive health care.  Whilst Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has been a popular and successful option for providing relief from symptoms of menopause, a variety of problems are known to exist, and more women are looking at complementary and alternative methods to deal with their menopause related symptoms.

Diet, HRT or Placebo in New Menopause Research

As such, dietary supplementation is becoming a popular alternative and increasing numbers of scientific trials are backing the use of supplementation as an effective and safe alternative therapy to HRT.  The most recent of such studies fits very nicely within World Menopause Month, published this month in the journal Maturitas, and reports the findings of a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial in which sixty healthy, symptomatic, postmenopausal women of 40–60 years of age were allocated to use dietary soy supplementation or HRT or placebo¹.

The findings of this study support existing evidence that phytoestrogens from soy improve the severity of menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, joint and muscle pain and vaginal dryness as effectively as HRT.   Such findings are encouraging when taking into account that extended use of HRT may not only increase the risk of breast cancer but also may increase the risk of heart disease.  Many women may find that use of HRT suits them, but what is clearly apparent is that there is an increasing need for scientific validation of natural alternatives so that women can have more choice and freedom to choose and that these choices are safe.

1.  Carmignani LO, Pedro AO, Costa-Paiva LH, Pinto-Neto AM. The effect of dietary soy supplementation compared to oestrogen and placebo on menopausal symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. Maturitas (2010), doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.07.007

Dr Nina Bailey received her PhD in Cell Biology from Cambridge University and her doctoral research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Sheila Bingham at the Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Cambridge.

More information can be found on her website at www.drninabailey.com