It’s probably fair to say that no one really looks forward to menopause but it’s probably equally fair to say that knowledge is power. If you arm yourself with as much information as you can before you reach perimenopause, you’ll be in a much better place to deal with the changes as they happen.
After all, without female sex education getting our period for the first time would have been incredibly traumatic, but because we had some kind of idea of what to expect and when, we were able to prepare for it (at least in part).
The same can be said for menopause, which is a critical period for women’s health and, as such, it’s wise to prep yourself and be ready for whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at you.
As with periods, every woman’s menopause journey is different, although of course there are shared experiences. Hot flashes, anyone? Night sweats? It’s a magical time!
Before menopause, you’ll likely experience perimenopausal symptoms, ranging from weight gain and mood swings to sleep disturbances, intermittent hot flashes and irregular cycles (often with heavy periods alongside).
And from there, you may experience other menopause symptoms including low libido, vaginal dryness, depression, irritability and brain fog.
It sounds traumatic to say the least but the good news is that there’s a lot you can do to address your symptoms and ease yourself through the transition.
Because menopause is linked to fluctuating levels and eventual decline of hormones progesterone and oestrogen, gaining an insight into hormone health and how this affects your symptoms and overall health can help you devise certain strategies to help you as you make your way through these choppy waters.
Something to consider delving into is the DUTCH test, which looks at sex hormones and their metabolites to give you further insights into nutritional deficiencies, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and a whole lot more.
It shows you how your body metabolises and gets rid of oestrogens, which is a very important mechanism that takes place in the liver and gut. If this process doesn’t work as well as it should for you, then symptoms of unopposed oestrogen can manifest themselves.
If, for example, your test reveals that your oestrogen is high relative to your progesterone (also known as unopposed oestrogen) during the perimenopause, you’ll then be better placed to make decisions about what nutritional support and other lifestyle changes you may need to come out on top. It’s also a very useful test to consider taking if you have concerns about polycystic ovarian syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
It can be confusing, however, and you may not be in the right mindset to take in all the information… so if you need a little help, get in touch with Charlotte today to find out more about menopause, nutrition and what you can expect.