Are you a woman in your late 30s to 40s? Maybe you’ve been experiencing more erratic mood swings, increased irritability (or even rage), sleep problems, and weight gain. Or maybe you think nothing changed except your family members are starting to flinch when you are around or offer you wine and other alcoholic beverages on a regular basis.
Although you and/or your family members might think you are going crazy, you’re not. You have more than likely entered “perimenopause”. That’s the 10 years of subtle, or not so subtle, hormonal changes that happen to many women before that very last menstrual period. In addition, this transitional period can be further complicated by thyroid disease, pre-diabetes, and adrenal gland dysfunction.
Common symptoms occurring in the perimenopausal period are breast tenderness, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, depression, insomnia, weight gain, water retention, fatigue, increased menstrual cramps, PMS (duration and/or intensity) and clotting, hot flashes/night sweats (VMS), new onset of migraines, and irregular menstrual cycles. Most of these symptoms are at times of high estrogen levels including hot flashes. (No, that’s not a typo). High estrogen is often coupled with lowered progesterone and is commonly referred to as “estrogen dominance”.
Simplistic view of estrogen dominance: anxiety, weight gain, poor memory & concentration (increased stress hormones), breast tenderness and enlargement (increased breast stimulation), anxiety, insomnia, agitation (decreased calming brain chemical called GABA), water retention and bloating (reduced aldosterone–a hormone responsible for sodium and potassium balance in body), and so forth.
Simplistic view of progesterone action: calming (stimulates GABA receptors in brain), normal water balance (promotes aldosterone production), increases metabolism so it can assist with weight loss when estrogen dominance has caused gain gain (thermogenic), relieves breast tenderness (down regulates estrogen receptors in breast).
Does that mean you should run out and buy some progesterone cream? NO! Progesterone is a pre-cursor (ingredient to make other stuff) to other steroid hormones including estrogen and testosterone, so you can end up with quite a hormonal imbalance nightmare if you don’t know what you are doing. Hormone balance is key.
The symptoms are real and there are many treatment options available to assist a woman through this transition. Your gynecologist might offer you birth control pills or an anti-depressant because that’s pretty much all they have in their tool box, but there are far more options available without side effects.
Herbs (botanical medicine) used at the right time in the appropriate woman can promote regular menstrual cycles (promoting ovulation) and increase progesterone production to offset symptoms from elevated estrogen. Amino acids are the fastest therapy to help relieve anxiety, irritability, insomnia, fatigue and other brain chemical imbalances. Targeted isolated nutrients, soluble fiber, and dietary changes can significantly impact how your body processes and eliminates hormones to create better hormonal balance and reduce estrogen dominance. Addressing any blood sugar dysregulation, thyroid disease, or adrenal dysfunction would be critical. Lastly, bio-identical hormones can be used to support the body’s ability to return to balance and provide a gentler transition into menopause when other treatments are ineffective.
If you (or someone you know) find yourself needing assistance in this life stage transition, please contact the office to schedule an appointment (415) 785-3347. The symptoms are not made up, they are real and can be effectively addressed.
