Women's Issues

Don’t believe anything good can come from hot flashes? In 2011 a Northwestern Study found that women who have them are actually at a lower risk for heart disease and stroke.  That might be the only upside though!

So, what is perimenopause? Anywhere between 2 – 10 years before menopause our ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and it’s those fluctuations that lead to hot flashes and night sweats. These estrogen swings seem to disrupt a woman’s brain, specifically the hypothalamus which regulates body temperature.  Other symptoms are mood swings, vaginal dryness and irregular periods. Many women I talk to who are experiencing perimenopause also report mental fogginess and memory glitches, especially word finding. I find name recollection and key-finding a challenge myself.

Anyway, we officially hit menopause when we haven’t had a period for 12 months but before you give a sigh a relief about no longer needing birth control (and according to my grandmother, stop having hormonal migraines) be warned. You may still get hot flashes for a few more years yet due to residual hormones in your body. The brain fogginess may also still continue and you may experience a lower sex drive. Not everyone does though. The Massachusetts Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal study of 2,565 women, showed that many women feel either relieved or neutral about the end of menstruation and feel  no major impact to their health or behavior.

There is a large proportion of women that are effected though and help is available. During therapy we can:

• Develop strategies to manage symptoms and emotional reactions to them.
• Reframe the physical changes that accompany perimenopause and menopause, such as weight gain.
• See menopause as an appropriate stage of adult development which means accepting who they are and tapping in to the positive aspects of their lives.
• Challenge negative beliefs about symptoms and use cognitive therapy techniques to improve mood.
• Develop stress-reduction techniques and encourage healthy lifestyle changes.

 

The symptoms that make up premenstrual syndrome range from skin breakouts, bloating, headaches, sore breasts and of course mood swings. They can begin from 5 – 11 days  prior to the start of your period and their intensity  can make life miserable for some women (and their partners!).

Soak Up The Sun

Women’s health expert Christine Northrup MD suggests that 10 minutes exposure to full spectrum natural light daily increases serotonin levels which are reduced at that time of the month due to the drop in estrogen. It also decreases sugar cravings associated with PMS.

Eat Away PMS

The following nutrients can help ease symptoms:

Calcium +D – found in 4 servings a day of low fat milk can lower your risk of PMS by 30-40%

Magnesium – can ease breast tenderness and bloating. A cup of raisin bran, an ounce of almonds or a banana provides enough.

B vitamins –  found in fortified cereals,  spinach, broccoli or the cabbage family have also been found to fend off PMS.

Iron – A daily serving of fortified cereal can also provide enough iron to reduce PMS symptoms. Looks like you should start the day with cereal. At least during your period.

Omega 3s – Taking 1000mg fish oil or flax oil during the week before your period has been shown to calm nerves that can become frayed.

Lifestyle Changes

Limiting salt minimizes bloating and fluid retention during this time and getting more sleep and exercise can reduce the intensity of symptoms (See Simple Steps To Improve Your Mood a free booklet available for download from www.drsarahallen.com for ways to improve sleep and cope better with stress).

PMS can worsen after you have had a baby and during peri-menopause because hormones ten to fluctuate more widely than usual. Symptoms are also worse if you are stressed due to the increased cortisol levels.

If none of the above suggestions help or if your mood swings are severe, consider talking to your doctor as you might have the more severe Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) which can be treated successfully with medication and therapy to learn successful ways to cope with stress and mood swings.