Estrogen and Menopause- Menopausal Symptoms and Treatments

Estrogen & Other Hormones in Turmoil- A Life Out of Balance

Balance: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady

Several lifetimes ago or so it seems, I’d be bouncing down the hospital wards in a lab coat overflowing with books, manuals, loose scribbly notes & whatever else fit in the small spaces in between- armed & ready for the call to action. No matter what problems my patients would pose I was certain to be carrying the toolbox full of working solutions.

I remember clearly, the ’smarty pants’ colleague passing by on one late evening, like two lost ships drifting close on a dark n’ foggy night. I probably would have thought the same of her to see the likes of me coming with pockets more like bags of kittens trying to get out..

"Hey Ana Balance Your Bricks! You’re Keeling Over."

Boy, I needed the laugh that night. And thanks to my funny little friend I went about that night, and for the rest of my life in the process of learning how to lighten my load & loosen my cargo.

Today our topic is not so much about the lightening up but about balancing the act. It’s about calibrating your hormonal orchestra to regain that wonderful sense of balance while sailing throughout midlife. This is the challenge for all baby boomer women traveling the path towards peri-menopausal transitions. But it’s not just the ladies, we have to remember that our male partners are going through their changes as well!

So if you find yourself within the throws of this storm grab your compass, bundle up the wind breaker and bring these notes along as a road map ’cause here we go...

Your Hormonal Challenges: "Will They Ever Let Up?

There’s plenty of times in your life when you are going to be challenged physiologically, mentally and spiritually. The worst are the times of greatest hormonal changes- like the onset of your menstruation, the post-partum period, and the peri-menopausal/menopausal transition.

Depending on your reserves & the health of your adrenal glands, these times will either be simple transitions or cause for incredibly uncomfortable symptoms, physical complaints, sexual dysfunction, medical illness & many other challenges.

My goal in functional medicine is to transition women like you through a hormonal rebalancing but only after accurate testing reveals the problems. The good news is that you can find rapid relief from many of your symptoms once those imbalances get corrected. We may need to balance the sex steroids while adding adrenal & neurotransmitter support in addition to adopting the proper dietary & lifestyle modifications that bring about healing thru balance.

...Balance Your Bricks!

You may be surprised to know that the lack of estrogen itself may NOT be causing your distressing hot flashes, nor the many other complaints. This balancing act is many times far more than meets the eye.

The major hormones that need correcting are actually Adrenaline, Cortisol and Insulin. The minor hormones that need testing & balancing include Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, DHEA, Thyroid & Melatonin among others.

How Did My Bricks Shift So Out Of Balance?

There are many factors that influence whether you sail through these transitions smoothly or come in for the crash landing on a dry dock. Let’s consider the big factors determining which particular experience you may be dealing with:

Stress,
Dietary Habits,
Certain Nutrient Deficiencies,
Gut Dysbiosis (the destruction of your healthy gut bacteria),
Hormonal Disruptions,
Toxins,
Other health problems like thyroid imbalance, insulin resistance, adrenal fatigue from chronic stress, obesity or anorexia (or rapid weight changes),
The natural aging process,
Insomnia, and
Genetics

Hormone Imbalance & Inflammation: The Deadliest Combination

At the time of menopause if there are any inflammatory conditions that have taken up residence in your body:

Your life expectancy becomes 32.7 years, on average.
Your chances for an Osteoporotic Fracture become 1 in 2
Your chances for Coronary Heart Disease become 1 in 3
Your chances for Stroke or Alzheimer’s becomes 1 in 5
Your chances for Breast Cancer becomes 1 in 8
You can see why it is so very critical to balance your hormones and to reduce your risks of inflammation during this time of your life.

Why Is Balancing My Hormones So Important?

You may have many reasons for seeking hormonal evaluations to balance your hormones during the transition, and some of the more common reasons include:

The relief of hot flashes & night sweats,
The treatment of vaginal thinning, dryness & urinary complaints that result,
To improve your bone health & prevent bone fractures,
To improve your heart health & prevent heart attacks,
To improve and preserve your memory, mood & brain functions, and
To reduce your cancer risks overall.

What Can Happen When My Estrogens Go Off Balance?

When Your Estrogens Are Too High:

It results from & contributes to a high Body Mass Index (obesity & fat accumulation),
It can cause polycystic ovaries & insulin resistance increases,
It causes the linings of your uterus grow and may lead to uterine cancers,
You may produce fibroids,
You may get endometriosis, and
Your breast densities can increase while the incidence of breast cancers rise.

When Estrogens Are Too Low:

It results from a low body mass index, as seen in athletes or those that exercise strenuously,
It results from ovarian failure,
It can increase your cardiovascular risks for heart attacks & strokes,
It contributes to osteoporosis,
It contributes to vaginal dryness & to symptoms of urinary discomfort,
It contributes to the onset of incontinence (a leaky bladder) and,
It causes the loss of your menstruation.

How Would I Know If My Estrogens Are Getting Too High?

The most common symptoms reported by the women that I treat are:

Mood Swings,
Irritability,
Depression,
Irregular periods,
Heavy menstrual flow,
Hot flashes,
Vaginal dryness,
Water retention,
Weight gain in the hips, thighs & abdomen,
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, less deep & restorative REM sleep),
Decreased libido,
Headaches,
Fatigue,
Short term memory loss,
Lack of concentration,
Thinning of scalp hair,
Dry & wrinkly skin,
Increased facial hair,
Bone mineral loss, and
Diffuse aches and pains

The most important point for you to take home is that NOT all of the discomforts you feel during this period are due to dropping estrogen levels, and although giving estrogen may temporarily relieve some of your symptoms it is the actual balancing of estrogen to progesterone and the balancing of more important major hormones that will properly correct you so that you can begin to transition more comfortably.

My recommendation is that you get your salivary hormones tested, including checking your Adrenaline, Cortisol and Insulin levels. Seek a health care professional that can show you the very best way to balance YOUR bricks.

If you are suffering from less than optimal health, or for help with choosing high quality nutraceutical grade formulas and detoxification programs to boost your weight loss program and to get the most out of your nutrients & foods get in touch with us today. Don’t suffer with less than optimal health or poor performance. There is a better way.

Recommended Reading:
The Youthful Aging Center Bookstore