Vitamins & Menopause

Menopausal Problems
How Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements May Help
 

Menopause simply means that a woman stops having periods and is no longer fertile, usually some time between the ages of 45 and 55.  Peri-menopause is the period preceding menopause when some women start to experience some of the menopausal symptoms, even though they are still having their periods.  All women, if they live to be old enough, go through menopause, but not all women experience the same problems with menopause.  In fact, some of them barely notice it.  Others, especially those who have a history of menstrual problems or PMS seem to experience more severe symptoms.  Could it be that nutrient levels have something to do with this? 

Well, we think how well nourished your body is has a lot to do with the severity of symptoms.  With women who are well nourished, their adrenal glands and other glands do some of the things the estrogen did before.  Some health care practitioners think that lots of menopause symptoms today stem from exhausted adrenals.
 

Common Symptoms of Menopause
 

Having various changes in the menstrual cycle, hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness are all symptoms of menopause.  Women whose bodies don't completely stop producing estrogen seem to experience fewer or milder symptoms.  Thin women also seem to experience more symptoms since fat cells produce small amounts of estrogen, and thin women have fewer of them.
 

Common Causes of Menopausal Symptoms
 

These symptoms seem to be related especially to the sudden drop in estrogen that occurs as a woman goes through the mid life change, as well as a decline in other hormones such as melatonin and progesterone.
 

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Natural Nutritional Supplements
 

Vitamin E and the B vitamins both seem to be helpful with menopausal symptoms*.  Vitamin E seems to help tremendously with hot flashes and night sweats and even vaginal dryness and mood swings*.  Many menopausal women swear by the positive effects that vitamin E has had on their various symptoms.  The B vitamin complex is also important as it can help with leveling out mood swings, reducing irritability and B6 helps the liver to regulate the levels of estrogen in your body*.

Vitamin C and other herbs can be very helpful in nourishing the adrenal glands*.

Goji Juice seems to have a powerful effect on regulating hormones as well helping with mood*, perhaps at least partially because of its high vitamin C content.

Calcium and magnesium also seem to be helpful, and help to fortify against osteoporosis, which is much more common after menopause*.

Herbs that seem to help with menopause symptoms include Red Raspberry leaf, Dong Quai, Chastetree Berry, Squaw Vine, Kelp & Bladderwrack, Red Clover Blossom and Nopal Cactus*.

Recommended Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements*

  • Vitamin E Complex (all 8)
  • Vitamin B Complex
  • All Natural Vitamin C Complex
  • Adrenal Complex (QN Labs)
  • High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil
  • Coral Calcium
  • Goji 100 Juice
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Antioxidants like DHLA & Green Tea
  • Fem Balance or other products containing herbs as indicated above

 
Food Choices
 

We firmly believe that the first step in treating reproductive and hormonal problems is good nutrition.   In order for our bodies to make the right hormones in the correct amounts, we need nutrient dense foods, like whole grains, butter from grass-fed cows, and other whole foods.  .

Although much touted as very important for menopausal or peri-menopausal women, soy is also a known goitrogen (meaning it depresses the thyroid), and seems to actually cause a lot of problems for many women if eaten in large quantities.  We think there are better ways to reduce the symptoms of menopause, especially given the fact that many studies did not even show a reduction in menopausal symptoms like hot flashes with the addition of soy to the diet.

Sea vegetables can be a good addition to your diet, adding iodine and trace minerals.
 
Other Ideas
 

Although using a natural progesterone cream has less side effects than hormone replacement therapy, in our opinion, many women end up with progesterone levels that are too high.  It is really best to supply your body the needed nutrients and then let it balance your hormonal levels.

Alcohol, caffeine and white sugar can all deplete B vitamins, and since these are very important in reducing menopausal symptoms, try avoiding or at least cutting back on these substances.  Avoid chlorinated water as it can leach vitamin E from the body, amongst other things.  Last, but not least, regular exercise, including weight bearing exercise can help you to keep muscle strong, in addition to making sure you have a vitamin and nutrient dense diet and perhaps adding some whole food based nutritional supplements.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements