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  • Menopause involves hormone shifts; supplements like multivitamins, vitamin D, and phytoestrogens aid symptom relief.
  • Magnesium and sage leaf extract can alleviate insomnia, stress, and hot flushes during menopause.
  • Manage blood sugar with chromium and support bone health with algae-sourced calcium during menopause.


What Is menopause?

You might be surprised to learn that technically, menopause is only a one-day event, it is when you can look back and say that it has been 12 months since your last period. The time leading up to menopause is called perimenopause and can last from anywhere between three to eight years and start as young as your early forties.

Outside of aging, menopause can also occur following surgery such as a hysterectomy, ovary removal or as an induced chemical menopause to manage conditions like endometriosis. Learning to spot the symptoms of menopause is the first step towards designing a supplement plan to support your menopause symptoms and help your body adjust to the change in hormones naturally.

How do hormones change during menopause?

To understand how to support menopause, it is helpful to first understand your sex hormones and the function they provide. Progesterone usually is at its highest after ovulation and is involved in the production of the calming neurotransmitter GABA.

Oestrogen climbs before ovulation, usually causing a change in cervical mucus, typically you feel at your best during this time with increased focus, energy, and sex drive. Oestrogen is also involved in bone, brain, and heart health.

Testosterone is usually only thought of with men, but women also produce testosterone in small amounts for use with energy production and focus. During menopause, there is a decrease in the three main sex hormones, progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone.

Symptoms of menopause

The symptoms of menopause are broad and not every person will have every symptom. Additionally, symptoms of menopause can vary in severity, duration, and onset. Some of the most common menopause symptoms include:

Hot flushes:  A common misconception is that hot flushes occur only at night, they can happen at any time during the day and sometimes triggered by stress, temperature, certain foods such as wine or beer and exercise.

Vaginal dryness:  The changing in hormones can cause vaginal dryness which in turn increases the chances of thrush and common infections such as bacterial vaginosis, this is due to the protective and immune function cervical mucus provides.

Brain fog:  The lowered levels of oestrogen during menopause is thought to contribute to brain fog and difficulty focusing.

Reduced libido:  Similar to brain fog and vaginal dryness, the reduction in natural oestrogen contributes to a lower sex drive.

Anxiety and low mood:  Due to the drop in both oestrogen and progesterone, many people going through menopause notice a dip in their mood and increase in anxiety. This is due not only to the reduction in hormones but also their relation to serotonin and GABA.

Insomnia:  Oestrogen is involved in creating serotonin which converts to melatonin, the sleepy hormone.

Weight gain & blood sugar fluctuations:  Lower oestrogen has been shown to make it harder for the body to respond and manage sugars naturally, so blood sugar spikes and dips are more likely which can lead to food cravings, energy dips and weight gain.

Other symptoms of menopause include:

• Indigestion.
• Low energy.
• Heart palpitations.
• Skin and hair changes.
• Joint pain.
• Headaches.
• Mood swings.

Best supplements for menopause

In my clinic, I like to think about layering supplements, the foundation usually contains a good quality multivitamin which provides a safety net to ensure you are getting enough of the key B-vitamins for energy support, thyroid support and fat soluble vitamins such as A, E and K. Multi Essentials for Women 50+ is one of my favourite multivitamins as it has ashwagandha, an adaptogen to support stress, curcumin which has anti-inflammatory properties helpful for joint pain, and bacopa extract for cognitive support.

In addition to a multivitamin, I usually recommend a daily vitamin D supplement as in the UK you won’t make any yourself between October and May, and even then, the sunshine isn’t that reliable! Vitamin D is a hormone and used in over 200 different processes so it’s important to maintain healthy levels.

Natural menopause relief supplements

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are an amazing natural compound found in foods such as soybeans, tofu, hops and flaxseeds. They can interact with oestrogen receptors, so I often recommend eating a diet rich in phytoestrogens during menopause as well as topping up with MenoHop. MenoHop has both soy extract and hops to support menopause symptoms including hot flushes.

Magnesium

For insomnia, low energy, stress and brain fog, I love to use a high strength magnesium. There are different forms of magnesium, all which offer unique benefits. With menopause specifically, I use magnesium bisglycinate which has shown to support the nervous system. MegaMag PeriMeno provides a high dose of magnesium as well as added botanical ingredients such as:

• Red clover extract: Isoflavones for phytoestrogen support.
• Shatavari: A herb associated with a healthy libido.
• Sage leaf: A herb used for decades to support hot flushes and excessive sweating during menopause.
• Ashwagandha and rhodiola: Two apoptogenic herbs which have been traditionally used in herbal medicine to support stress and resilience.

Sage leaf

Hot flashes seem to be the one symptom most people going through menopause aren’t able to escape, fortunately sage leaf extract is well established as a natural support for hot flashes. Sage is part of the mint family and thought to have mild estrogenic properties.

Other considerations for menopause

Now that you have a good foundation and some menopause targeted supplements, you may need to consider some additional support to help with bone health, energy, and type 2 diabetes risk.

Blood sugar and menopause

Lower levels of oestrogen like that during menopause has been shown to make it harder for the body to respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone which manages your blood sugar level. Long term insulin resistance, when your body doesn’t hear the message to lower your blood sugar, leads to type two diabetes. When you have high insulin, your body stores the sugar as fat and eventually leads to a dip in energy, sometimes referred to as an afternoon slump.

Chromium is a trace mineral found in cinnamon and plays an essential role in managing healthy and normal blood sugar levels. In my clinic I often recommend people going through menopause take Gluco-Chrome to support their energy, weight, and type 2 diabetes risk.

Bone health and menopause

It’s a strange thought but you technically have seven skeletons in your lifetime, your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding! Oestrogen has a protective role in bone health as it stimulates the cells which build bones. When you go through menopause, it is therefore important to consider your bone health.

Algae-Sourced Calcium provides a balanced supplement which has been shown to be better absorbed than other types of calcium.

References:
1. Sage & Hot Flushes - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21630133/
2. Chromium & Blood Sugar - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15208835/
3. Soy & Hops For Menopause - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34399063/
4. Soy & Hops For Hot Flushes - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12218721/

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