 | Beth Ellis
upon graduating from Pretty Prairie High School went on to receive her degree in technical education. Beth found her true passion to be in the study of natural supplements. Beth is an associate with Whole Foods and has continued her ongoing training for the last four years there. Beth can be reached at Whole Foods at (316) 729-4365 |
Health & Medicine
2003-12-01 09:34:00
Am I having early menopause?
ANSWER: Premenopause or Perimenopause, is the transition time between a woman's reproductive years and menopause. Typically, premenopause occurs between the ages 40 to 51, the average age is 47. But, hormonal changes may start as early as the late 30s. Premenopause is associated with a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, mood swings, loss of sex drive, depression, cold hands and feet, irritability, headaches, weight gain, very heavy or light periods, and hot flashes. Often, a woman is prescribed estrogen by their primary care giver, when in fact what is actually needed is progesterone. When a woman enters premenopause, ovulation on a regular basis stops, which causes the body to stop producing progesterone, which creates a condition known as estrogen dominance. Supplementing with natural progesterone cream will help bring a woman's hormones into balance. Some of the intrinsic effects of progesterone are protection against breast fibrocysts, endometriosis, as well as breast and ovarian cancer. It acts as a natural diuretic, a natural antidepressant, and relieves anxiety. Progesterone also helps thyroid function, stimulates osteoblast-mediated new bone formation, reverses osteoporosis, and reduces incidences of autoimmune disorders. When a woman is nearing menopause, her estrogen levels start to decline. She still benefits from using progesterone cream, but may need to add phytoestrogens to help alleviate symptoms of vaginal dryness and night sweats. Phytoestrogens, including Black Cohosh bind to estrogen receptors and create a weak estrogen-like effect in the body and reduce the frequency of hot flashes. Phytoestrogens are safe, and without the side effects of synthetic estrogens. As women, we are normally taking care of everyone else; during this transition we need to start taking care of ourselves.
