The Perimenopause Solution: Take control of your hormones before they take control of you

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Relaxation techniques. Yoga and meditation, for example, can help reduce stress, which may in turn help improve menopausal symptoms. For example, a study in Korea that looked at the effects of a 12-week walking exercise program found that the exercise improved physical and mental health and overall quality of life in a group of 40 menopausal women ( 12).

The Perimenopause Solution - Penguin Books UK The Perimenopause Solution - Penguin Books UK

Gynaecology. Oxford Handbook of General Practice (5 ed, online). Oxford Academic. academic.oup.com, published June 2020. doi:10.1093/med/9780198808183.003.0020 During menopause, dryness is often an issue. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition. Often when people talk about ‘going through the menopause’ they’re actually talking about the perimenopause. The perimenopause is when your hormone levels start to change. But it’s before your periods stop completely. It can cause a wide range of symptoms, both physically and mentally. In fact, one study found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women ( 21).Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Symptoms of Menopause - Healthline 11 Natural Ways to Reduce Symptoms of Menopause - Healthline

You don’t need to wait for your periods to stop before speaking to your doctor or taking HRT. Can I still get pregnant during the perimenopause? Take along a record of your menstrual cycles. Keep a journal of your menstrual cycles for the past few months, including first and last date of bleeding for each cycle, and whether the flow was light, moderate or heavy. You might guess from the cover of this book written by British-born personal trainer and nutrition coach Amanda Thebe that it's brimming with attitude and humour and doesn't shy away from detail. Amanda was used to being supremely fit, but when she turned 43, she suddenly had to lie down one day after her regular boxing class and couldn't get up. Her head felt like it was clamped in a vice and the room started to spin. She assumed she had a virus (interestingly, it's now being found that some women who have had Covid are having their menopausal symptoms missed because of the similarities with Long Covid). Studies on phytoestrogens — whether from food or supplements — conflict on whether they help reduce menopausal symptoms. Studies also conflict on what beneficial impact, if any, phytoestrogens may have on breast cancer risk. A diet high in refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. This may worsen the physical and mental symptoms of menopause.These reads (and I've devoured them all) all shine in different ways – some are personal experiences, some medical, some nutritional, many are a mixture of all of them. How brilliant is it that the word ‘ perimenopause ’ especially has now made it loud and proud onto the covers of books – who’d even heard of what we now know as 'the change before the change' five years ago? I wish I had when I was going through it. Thankfully, there's now an emphasis now on being prepared, controlling your hormones before they control you, which is also the subtitle of The Perimenopause Solution, below.

The Perimenopause Solution: Take control of your hormones

Bacon JL. The menopausal transition. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2018.02.008. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin No. 128: Diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding in reproductive-aged women. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2012; doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e318262e320. Reaffirmed 2016.FSRH Guideline: Contraception for Women Aged Over 40 Years. Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. fsrh.org, last updated July 2023 Make a list of all medications and the doses. Include prescription and nonprescription drugs, herbs, vitamins and supplements that you're taking. Natural remedies for menopause symptoms include herbal supplements. Some of these contain plant estrogens called phytoestrogens that help balance low hormone levels during menopause. They may alleviate symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.