Menopause

Women (or people with ovaries) can notice many changes in their body as they progress through their 40s and 50s.  These may include weight gain (resistant to habit changes of decades past), hot flashes, disrupted sleep, increased body pains, changes to their menstrual cycle, mood swings, and more. While the hormonal shifts through this time may be expected, the undesired symptoms need not be. There are solutions. 

When symptoms are beginning to be experienced the common thought is “my estrogen must be low.”  Sometimes this is the case, but not always, or not necessarily independent of other factors - estrogen is just a piece of what I consider ‘an orchestra’ of hormones and neurotransmitters that are influencing each other and impacting how you feel.  Some of your habits may be impacting these compounds as well. 

Here are a few things you can begin to experiment with - whether it be for your own information or to report them to your Naturopathic Doctor (ND) so they can better understand your symptoms and provide next-step advice:

Hot flashes can be triggered by things you consume such as alcohol, wheat and sugar, and/or stress.  Begin to pay attention to what yours may be.

Night sweats can be associated with sugar and carbohydrate intake in the evening (this includes wine) - even men can experience these!  Your body can regulate temperature best when you sleep naked, use 100% natural fibre linens, and cover yourself very simply with a sheet and light blanket.  Keep the room as cool as possible - ideally ~65 degrees (this can help weight management too.) 

Weight management requires more effort as you age, such as increasing intensity & frequency of your physical activity, including strength training, and being more mindful of your alcohol and sugar intake.  Food sensitivities can contribute to inflammation that presents as fluid retention - if your weight fluctuates by more than 1-2lb from day to day you may want to explore this with your ND. 

Mood changes can be associated with the hormone progesterone - particularly too little of it.  Track your experiences of anxiety, depression, &/or anger over a couple of months and see if you notice a cyclical pattern. 

And what have I seen impact all of these symptoms?  Stress and its impact on the body - most notably the adrenal glands.  Adrenal glands are part of the endocrine (hormone) system of the body and primarily help your body adapt to and cope with stressors. There is a relationship between adrenal and ovarian function, so as the ovaries reduce their activity (producing less estrogens & progesterone), how robust the adrenals are functioning really comes to light.  

To explore your hormone levels there are a couple testing options available - blood and urine.  Blood is standard testing and shows how much hormone your glands are secreting into the blood.  Urine (dried urine specifically) shows how your body is metabolizing the hormones, which I find to be of great value especially if you are considering hormone replacement therapy (whether bioidentical or conventional).  Urine will also allow you to see how your adrenals are producing its primary stress hormone, cortisol, at 4 points throughout the day. 

Remember that naturopathic medicine is complementary, not alternative - if you choose to have an ablation to stop heavy bleeding, or elect for conventional hormone therapy, we will support you through the process.  

There are many options for addressing and reducing your symptoms - let’s talk!