Tomatoes, Menopause Symptoms and Weight: The Secret?

womentowomen on September 19, 2016

By Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

I often share with you my thoughts around the power of healthy food; we know that good food can heal the body and reduce or eliminate symptoms of hormonal imbalance and that poor food choices can have the opposite effect. Today I want to share some interesting news about one food’s power to help manage menopause symptoms including anxiety and weight gain: tomatoes.

Our bodies depend on a complex array of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and co-factors, all of which are required in combination with each other for good health. That’s why we tell all our patients at Women to Women how important it is to take a high-quality multivitamin in order to ensure they are getting all the nutrition the body needs; it is just so hard to get everything we need for wellness from our food supply today.

While the overall nutritional content of food has declined measurably in recent years due to farming and distribution practices, certain foods still make a lot of headlines in the news; often called “superfoods,” they can pack a more powerful nutritional punch because they are loaded with more of what our bodies need for wellness including anti-oxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals.

I think it’s important to say, however, that while some foods may be “super,” they are still just one of many different food requirements for health. There are no magic food elixirs; we need to eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables, even though we may have our favorite colors!

Having said that, a fascinating new study I read recently in the Nutrition Journal focused on one of my favorite “superfoods,” tomatoes, and one of my favorite subjects, menopause. (When two things I like come together, it gets my attention every time!) The study looked at women with menopausal symptoms and the impact of tomatoes on their health, their symptoms and even their weight and found some pretty amazing results.

Here’s how it worked. For two weeks prior to the study, the researchers asked women between the ages of 40 and 60 who had at least one menopausal symptom to abstain from all tomato or tomato-based products. Then for eight weeks, the women were asked to consume 200ml of unsalted tomato juice (that’s just under a cup) with breakfast and dinner every day.

They found that the women reported their symptoms were reduced (in a statistically significant way), including symptoms such as anxiety and hot flashes, two of the biggest ones we see in our patients at Women to Women. In addition, their serum triglyceride levels were reduced (improving their heart health) and their Resting Energy Expenditure or REE was increased.

So what is REE and why does it matter?

It turns out that increasing REE can play an important role in avoiding mid-life weight gain. Studies have shown that our Resting Energy Expenditure, or how many calories we burn when we are not active, goes down in the years leading up to menopause by as much as 400 calories a day.

This means that in addition to potential weight gain that may occur when progesterone and estrogen levels become imbalanced during perimenopause and after menopause, many women may gain weight mid-life simply because their bodies are burning fewer calories overall: if you keep eating the same number of calories and don’t increase your activity level, over time, those extra 400 calories a day will start to add up in the form of extra pounds.

What was so interesting about this study was that the twice daily tomato juice consumption was able to increase the Resting Energy Expenditure of the women by almost 400 calories a day, or nearly the same amount that is lowered naturally as we age!

So why do scientists think this occurs?

One reason tomatoes may work to help vanquish menopausal symptoms is that they contain large amounts of vitamin B-6. B-6 plays a critical role in balancing estrogen and progesterone levels and avoiding the menopause symptoms that appear when those two hormones are not in alignment.

Another reason tomatoes work so well on menopausal symptoms is that as we’ve shared with you in past newsletters, oxidative stress is shown to exacerbate symptoms in perimenopausal women. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which is an anti-oxidant that can help alleviate the impact of the stress and keep symptoms in check.

While scientists aren’t exactly sure how tomatoes increased the women’s Resting Energy Expenditure, overall, we know that tomatoes are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants and can play a helpful contributing role to a healthy diet. And now we know they may help manage menopausal symptoms, including anxiety, hot flashes and weight gain as well. So does this mean you should run out and stock up on tomato juice? Sadly, no.

Dietary or lifestyle extremes are never healthy and as we said in the beginning, we need to eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables to ensure good health. While this study focused on tomatoes, my guess is that similar results would occur if any number of fruit or vegetables were tested, something that doesn’t happen often because it’s hard to find the money to fund food studies.

So while it’s exciting to see a study focused around the health impact of a food, particularly around menopausal symptom relief, it’s not a directive to go on a tomato juice diet! That said: if you are a woman who loves to have juice with breakfast or consumer a beverage with dinner, switching to tomato juice might be worth considering.

And adding more tomatoes to your diet, along with a healthy mix of other fruits and vegetables, is always a good thing (as long as you feel better after eating them; some women are allergic or sensitive to nightshades such as tomatoes and should avoid them.)

If that’s not you, look for ways to add more tomatoes and unsalted organic tomato juice to your meals. You can check out our slow roasted tomato recipe below for a new way to add a delicious tomato side dish to a meal and bring more B-6 and lycopene into your diet.

How You’re Making Your PMS (Or Menopause) Worse

womentowomen on October 3, 2015

When we started Women to Women more than thirty years ago, we were so excited to create the first alternative health clinic to offer care for women by women. We knew from the day our doors opened that women were not always listened to in the mainstream health care system. We knew that many practitioners had no idea what PMS or Menopause was really like: how could they when it was not even taught in medical school?

Back then, so many physicians would tell their patients that their symptoms of heart palpitations, anxiety, hot flashes, fuzzy thinking, depression and more were “all in their head.” Or they would simply send them out the door with a prescription for an anti-depressant, never taking the time to understand or connect the dots the symptoms were presenting.

From day one, we were passionate about women being heard; we listened to our patients, reassured them that their symptoms were real and that we understood how debilitating and disrupting they could be, and we worked with them to restore hormonal balance, heal, and get their bodies (and their lives) back on track. Since then thousands of women have come to our clinic and used our online programs to finally feel like themselves again.

When we started, we knew we were ahead of the curve but we truly believed that “the curve” would begin to catch up and that more practitioners would practice functional medicine. Functional medicine acknowledges that everything is connected and recognizes that sometimes a symptom does not come from an obvious cause, but rather, is the result of something happening further ‘upstream’ that needs to be addressed for health and healing (instead of simply treating the end result, the symptom.)

There is definitely more awareness today but sadly, three decades later, we still see patients who are dismissed by their regular practitioners because they were unable or unwilling to see the impact their hormonal balance symptoms were having on their lives and their health. Sometimes they were given an anti-depressant as a magic bullet; sometimes they were simply told it’s just a part of getting older. Sometimes we see women who have been to specialist after specialist to uncover the true cause of their health concerns, only to remain undiagnosed, miserable and exhausted.

The women who find us at our clinic or on our website tell us that we changed their lives and they are so glad they (finally!) found us. And we are thrilled that we can be there to listen, support, understand and guide them back to health.

While there have been some incredible medical advances over the past few decades, at Women to Women, we see more women than ever with debilitating PMS and peri-menopausal symptoms. That is because many of these hormonal balance, adrenal and thyroid symptoms are created and/or exacerbated by our lifestyle choices.

With the changes to factory farming, the rise of fast and convenience food, eating out more, working longer, sitting more, sleeping less, the prevalence of stress, and the excesses of exercise, alcohol and caffeine we employ to cope, more women than ever are struggling with painful or uncomfortable PMS or Perimenopausal symptoms.

The good news is that if we are causing or worsening our symptoms, then we can improve and even alleviate them. Let’s look at some of the factors that may be making your symptoms worse and what we can all do to help our bodies heal, whether you are experiencing symptoms or not.

(We have a lot more information on each triggers of these on our website, so I’m going to keep the details to the point. If you want more information, check out our articles here.)

Top PMS and Perimenopause Triggers

Sleep – Many of my patients struggle to get a good night’s sleep. A recent study showed that after two weeks of sleeping for only 6 hours a night, your body reacts and functions as if you had been up for 48 hours straight! Sleep is so important to health and wellness and most of all, restoring balance and healing. That’s because so many of our body’s healing processes take place at night while we are sleeping. If your sleep is disrupted, so is your healing and that means your hormonal imbalance and your symptoms will seem worse.

So what can you do if you aren’t getting enough sleep? I know we are all so busy, but try making a plan to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night for two weeks straight. My bet is you’ll feel so good after a few weeks that it will become a priority! Turn off the TV and read before bed. Try a warm bath with Epsom salts or take a magnesium supplement before bed, especially if you wake up and have trouble going back to sleep. (Magnesium has been shown to aid in falling – and staying – asleep and most of us are deficient.).

Keep your room cool and dark and avoid reading, watching or discussing anything intense or stressful (like the news or problems at work or with the kids) in the hours before bedtime. If your mind is busy or you have difficulty relaxing, try our Women to Women’s Sleep Support Formula that supports relaxation and sleep.

Stress – Stress has reached epidemic proportions and it is proven to disrupt hormones and menstrual cycles, leading to more painful periods and more entrenched peri-menopausal symptoms. I’m not going to be the first one to tell you that finding a way to slow down and relax is critical for your health and your hormonal balance; you’ve heard it before and the research proves the negative health impacts of living under ongoing stress include not just worse PMS or peri-menopausal symptoms, but adrenal fatigue or burn out, heart disease, stroke, cancer and more.

So What Can I Do About My Stress? There are many ways to reduce stress and what is important is that you find the one (s) that you enjoy and will stick with. Meditation, tai chi, yoga, deep breathing, journaling, art or music therapy are all great stress relievers. As is spending time in nature, being active outdoors, a nice long walk or being with loved ones and laughing.

Try combining a few to pack a more powerful punch such as a yoga class with a friend, or a walk with a loved one. Plan activities on the weekend, over lunch, or after work that excite you, inspire your creativity, or just get you to slow down and breath, laugh or smile.

Diet – Food is probably the biggest symptom trigger. It’s hard to eat well in today’s world: even your intentions are good, the nutrient level in food is not what it used to be and food today contains hormones, chemicals, pesticides and allergens that disrupt our hormone system. Most of my patients are out of balance from low-fat diets, too much refined sugar and flour and processed foods, dairy (which often contains hormones that will tilt your system out of balance), carbohydrates, gluten, dieting or eating irregularly throughout the day instead of steady meals and snacks that start with a healthy breakfast and end at least three hours before bed.

So What Can I Do About My Diet? Women to Women has a meal plan coming soon

to guide you, but your goal should be to reduce or eliminate foods that disrupt hormones such as alcohol, caffeine, sugar, white flour, processed foods, excess carbohydrates, dairy (especially non-organic), gluten, and non-organic fruits and vegetables as many pesticides contain environmental estrogens that will disrupt your hormone balance.

Instead, look for high quality REAL foods and try to combine high-quality protein, fats and fiber (such as vegetables and other slow-release carbohydrates) at every meal. Look for organic whenever possible and when it comes to animal products, wild such as salmon, venison, bison, or grass-fed beef are better. Think of it as a re-set for your hormones and try to take two weeks to make thoughtful food choices. Most of my patients say that they feel so much better after two weeks that they never want to go back to their old way of eating again!

Excess – Good sleep, good food, regular movement throughout your day to reduce periods of sitting, exercise, and relaxation are all important for healing. Often, however, when our lives get out of balance, we adopt coping mechanisms to make it through. Over time, if the situation doesn’t change, those become habits that can derail our health.

Excess caffeine (more than a cup or two of coffee for example or relying on the coffee to get up or to make it through the afternoon) will wreak havoc on your hormones. So will too much alcohol (it’s just like sugar and will raise your blood sugar levels followed by a crash, making hormonal balance — and possibly restful sleep if you drink at night — impossible.

While exercise is great for health and hormonal balance, too much exercise/extreme exercise can lead to exacerbated symptoms as well as it may deplete the body’s nutritional reserves and send it into famine mode.

So What Can I Do About Excess? We all know we need balance in our lives and hormonal imbalance is often a great reminder of that: we cannot balance our hormones if we out of balance in major areas of our lives. A cup or two of coffee or an occasional glass of wine is ok, especially if it brings you pleasure and you slow down, stop and truly relax and enjoy it. (Though if your symptoms are moderate to severe, you may want to take a break from all caffeine and alcohol for a couple weeks to let your body re-set and see how you feel.)

If you crave something, be if coffee, wine, salty foods, or chocolate, you’re likely out of balance and not getting nutrients that you need; you should definitely look into a high quality multi-vitamin and a probiotic supplement such as the ones we offer in our store.

If you’re addicted to exercise, you may need to learn to love your body (and yourself) as it is. Or you may need to get the energy high from a hug or a close relationship instead. Ask yourself WHY you are doing/eating it. If the answer is positive and nourishing, indulge a little. If not, look for another way to get what you or your body needs.

You don’t Have To Go It Alone!

In our many years at Women to Women, we have found most every woman requires a high-quality multivitamin, an omega 3 and a probiotic supplement. We simply cannot get the nutrition we need from the food supply today, even if we eat well. If you are under stress, not sleeping well, don’t get regular exercise, sit too much throughout the day, are exposed to hormones, chemicals or pesticides, or just don’t feel good, it’s even more important that you support your body’s healing with good nutritional supplementation.

If your symptoms are more severe, the additional support we provide in our PMS and Menopausal Product Systems will help your body jump-start its healing and find relief even more quickly. You may think a nutritional support system cannot bring you relief or maybe you’ve tried cheaper nutritional supplements in the past without success but that’s why we offer a money-back guarantee: our products work.

We have partnered directly with a leading lab to bring you the very best products available, proven to make a difference. We’ve helped thousands of women restore hormonal balance and find relief from their PMS and peri-menopausal symptoms. We can help you too.

To learn more about our PMS product system, click here.

To learn more about our menopausal product system, click here.

Making Menopause Magical and Meaningful

womentowomen on August 7, 2015

One of the wonderful things about being a part of Women to Women for over thirty years is that I have seen so many women heal their bodies and their lives. Thousands of women overcome by disruptive symptoms such as joint pain, night sweats, digestive concerns, anxiety, depression, mood swings, or hot flashes, have gone on to restore hormonal balance and to feel like themselves again.

It’s incredible to see the physical transformation first-hand and watch them leave the clinic feeling good, often for the first-time in years. But more and more, I am seeing women transformed by menopause in other ways: emotional healing, the emergence of a new understanding of who they are and what they want, expression of dormant creativity, and even total reinvention.

I can’t tell you how inspiring it is to see women heal emotionally and physically and go on to create incredible amazing lives after menopause. So often we speak about menopause negatively, focusing on symptoms and discomfort and the physical challenges it brings. But menopause also brings a wonderful opportunity to get to know our bodies and ourselves in a much deeper way and to use the information we gain to chart a new course for the second half of our lives. How exciting is that?

Like all big opportunities, however, it’s not completely effortless: the mid-life transition of menopause brings with it some challenges and requires a little time and effort on our parts. But the pay off is so worth it! If you’re feeling down or discouraged about the state of your body and/or your life, I want to reassure that there is hope. You can get your symptoms under control. You can feel good again. You can turn your life around and create a new future by using this time to explore emotions and dreams you may have put on hold or buried away and forgotten long ago.

Before we can look at the emotional aspects, however, we need to deal with the physical ones. If you are not feeling well or not feeling like yourself, you won’t have the ability or the space or the emotional stamina to look deeply within yourself. Over the past three decades at Women to Women, we have seen the power of nutrition and lifestyle choices first-hand: now more than ever, food is medicine or poison, depending upon how you use it.

It’s important at all times, but especially during times of transition such as menopause, that we make the best choices we can to nourish and support our bodies and our lives. That’s why we encourage our patients to eat whole foods, organic when possible, and not packaged or processed foods. We also suggest to our patients that they try to cook at home as much as possible since restaurant food is often as bad — or even worse — than packaged and even fast foods.

Balance is key: aim for meals with healthy proteins, fats and fiber. That means grass-fed beef, organic free-range chicken, wild-caught salmon, bison, and whole and complete plant-based proteins like quinoa. We also need to consume healthy fats in the form of olive oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, and nuts along with lots of (organic when possible) fruits and vegetables.

We’ve shared with you before, however, that even adopting this healthy eating plan, it is very hard to get all of the nutrients we require from todays food supply, especially during a time of transition and hormonal imbalance such as menopause. That’s why even if you eat well – but especially if you do not – we believe every woman needs high-quality bio-absorbable nutritional supplementation like we offer in our multi-vitamin and omega-3 support products.

Most of our patients find that the right high-quality supplementation, along with some simple dietary changes such as cooking more and eating out less and making sure meals are balanced with protein, fat and fiber, brings significant and fast symptom relief. If your hormones are out of balance, additional plant-based support to restore that balance is also provided in our PMS and hormonal balance support systems to help speed relief and heal and restore balance. Quite frankly, we find the results to be amazing!

If you’ve read our previous newsletters on probiotics, you know that we also recommend a probiotic support product to all of our patients. If you have digestive concerns of any kind, this is definitely a must. But as we’ve seen from recent studies, the gut flora balance our bodies rely on for wellness can so easily be disrupted by antibiotics, stress, lack of sleep and poor food choices, so it’s important to ensure that your second brain, your digestive system, is in balance.

If you can make small dietary changes and then also add in some basic lifestyle shifts such as getting more sleep (start with 15 more minutes a night, then work up to 30 or 60 more minutes over time); finding ways to reduce and relieve stress (it may be physical such as yoga or tai chi or it may be more spiritual such as journaling, meditation or a hobby; I like using both); adding in more physical movement in our day (take a walk at lunch, take the stairs or simply make sure you stand up every hour); and looking to find exercise we truly enjoy doing (I’ve begun ballroom dancing and I love it! But many women I know have taken up training for a run or cycling charity event, started hiking again, or tried Zumba or boxing classes at the gym), you’ll be well on your way to feeling good again.

As women begin to feel better physically, at the clinic we often see that emotions they have buried previously may come to the surface. Perhaps feelings or issues from your childhood that you never fully addressed may emerge. While that may surprise you, it is a gift and a call from your body to explore them, feel them, release them and heal them so that you can experience greater physical and emotional health going forward.

Much like a physical symptom showing up that invites us to look upstream to see what actually caused it, (and it may be something very different than what it initially appears to be), an emotional memory or experience is your body’s way of shining a light and asking you to delve deeper to explore the root cause so that you can release the symptom or its expression.

For other women, it may be more of an opportunity to finally take some time for themselves: their career may be more stable, kids may be older, perhaps they are on their own or their relationship affords them more “me time” at this stage; it is a chance to ask questions about who and where they are now… and where they would like to go.

Is there enough joy and sweetness in my life?
What can I imagine myself to be?
What could I do with the second half off my life?
Who am I now? What do I want? How could I get there?

There are no right or wrong answers and unlike the pressure of an imminent graduation or wedding, there is no time constraint forcing an immediate decision or action. So finally, sometimes for the first time in a woman’s life, she can explore these questions openly, playfully, spiritually, enthusiastically and individually, focusing on herself, and see what comes up. It may be a little scary but mostly it is fun to imagine a variety of future possibilities, to take time to sit with what comes up and see how it really feels, and to focus on what lights us up and ignites us with passion.

I have seen so many women take the time to explore these questions and emerge from menopause clear and excited about where they would like to go — and then go off and create it. I admire and am inspired by these women reinventing themselves and their lives and using menopause as a time of transformation, healing and growth.

I invite you to consider menopause as more than just annoying symptoms but also as a wake up call to your physical body and to your spirit to look deeper and see what is really going on, what lies within that is calling for you to discover it, and to explore the possibilities for the second — and quite possibly best half — of your life.

Our menopause support products can help speed symptom relief so you are free to explore the gifts that menopause can bring. Our multi-vitamin, omega-3 and plant-based support products work together synergistically to heal and restore hormonal balance.

Stop suffering now! Hot flashes, night sweats, forgetfulness and brain fog can disappear! Order Women to Women’s Menopause Support Program today!
ORDER NOW.

To take our hormonal balance symptom quiz, click here.

The #1 Symptom of Menopause: It’s Not What you Think!

womentowomen on July 16, 2015

Do you know what the #1 symptom of Menopause is? I bet it’s not what you think!

There are many different menopausal symptoms (three dozen or so!) and each woman experiences menopause differently; which symptoms cause the greatest disruption to YOUR life will be unique to YOU. But even so, with my patients at Women to Women, I’ve seen a few symptoms rise to the top of the complaint list over the years.

For the longest time, the biggest complaint women had during perimenopause was around hot flashes. Hot flashes are still a big concern for women, don’t get me wrong, because they are really disrupting and 4 out of 5 women will experience them at menopause.

But over the past few years, I’ve seen a shift in symptom complaints in my patients. The number one symptom I see at Women to Women today is no longer hot flashes: it’s anxiety.

Anxiety can show up in your life in many ways. You may have heart palpitations, trouble breathing, a nervous stomach, or feel like you are scattered, distracted or compulsively worrying. So what’s changed to make anxiety so much more prevalent among women transitioning through menopause today?

In my opinion, much comes down to stress. The way we live our lives today and the amount of stress we experience on a daily basis running our homes, our families, our jobs and trying to do it all takes its toll on our bodies.

And when you have that high stress combined with changing hormones, the likelihood of experiencing anxiety is that much greater. That’s because progesterone has a soothing effect on our nervous systems and as the ratios of progesterone to estrogen decrease during perimenopause, anxiety is often the result. And when we have increased amounts of stress for long periods of time, pregnenolone, a precursor to progesterone gets pushed down a different pathway to make cortisol.  Then, often, women will have a low progesterone level and imbalanced hormones.

So what can you do about it?  I’m not going to be the first person to tell you that you have to find a way to slow down and reduce stress. I know it can be hard with so much going on in your busy lives but I can tell you that finding a practice that works for you and taking the time to implement it into your daily routine is going to go a long way toward feeling better.

Your anxiety is a call to action from your body, telling you to listen. If you don’t take action, not only will you be living with the anxiety and the uncomfortable, life-disrupting symptoms it presents for longer than you need to, but over time, that stress is going to cause other more serious problems.

So take your anxious moment as a message from your body to say: Hey there! You’re running me ragged and I need a little rest and a break. How about a good night’s sleep, some healthy nutritious food and some me-time? Maybe some deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, chi gong, a hot bath or journaling and a cup of tea? Or perhaps a nice long walk outside?

Whatever you decide to do is up to you. It should be something that slows you down, gives you time to relax and free your mind, to take deep breaths and step away from the crazy stress of the day. Finding some time for yourself every day will not only reduce your anxiety, it will make you happier and re-fill your cup so that you can give more to others than you can when you’re running on empty yourself.

And taking a little time every day to relax and de-stress will help you get your body back on track so that the stress won’t do more damage. Stress is connected to heart disease, cancer and more, so ignoring this wake-up call won’t serve you well now or in the future. But the good news is that it just takes a little practice to build some de-stress time into your daily routine.

You can also look to add some more protein to your meals and snacks.  The addition of protein will help to reduce blood sugar spiking and lessen internal inflammation or the stress caused by food additives, allergens, and chemicals. Consider lean meat, grass-fed cheese, nuts, or nut butters, without added sugars.

At Women to Women, we’ve seen that a daily de-stress ritual coupled with getting a good night’s sleep and making sound nutrition choices can restore your health, relieve your symptoms and get you feeling great again. Try to avoid sugar and processed foods, which can cause internal stress on your body and choose organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, and wild caught fish instead.

And because we know that even if you try, it’s really hard to get the nutrition you need from today’s food supply, we recommend a high quality pharmaceutical grade multivitamin and omega 3 oil to restore inner balance, reduce inflammation and manage the stress within your body. We believe every one needs to take both a multi-vitamin and an omega-3 product for optimal wellness.

If you are experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance, you will also need additional nutrients to support your body’s healing such as the all-natural herbs we have formulated in our proprietary Menopause Support product.

Diet and lifestyle changes combined with nutritional support through high quality supplementation leave most of our patients symptom-free. So if you’re ready to get rid of anxiety, hot flashes and other life-disrupting symptoms so that you can restore your health and feel like yourself again, we can help. We’ve helped thousands of women to feel better and we can help you too.

To learn more about our menopause support system, click here.

The Surprising Truth About Hot Flashes

womentowomen on March 6, 2015

When I ask my patients which menopausal symptoms drive them the craziest and disrupt their lives the most, they give me a variety of answers: fuzzy thinking, weight gain, anxiety, disrupted sleep, decreased libido or painful sex, and mood swings all come to mind.

At our clinic, Women to Women, we have seen first-hand that the range of symptoms women experience in the years leading up to and immediately after menopause is extensive, and that each woman is affected differently. Despite the myriad of symptoms my patients complain about, however, it seems that one symptom in particular is nearly always on the top of my patients’ “most bothered by list:” that symptom is hot flashes.

Studies show that 4 out of 5 women will experience hot flashes and night sweats before or after menopause, which means most of us will experience them at least once. For many of us, they are life disrupting for far longer than we’d like. If it seems like your temperature shifts are not getting better or showing any signs of going away, you’re not alone.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that these vasomotor symptoms (or VMS) last on average for more than seven years. For some ethnicities, the average duration can be over ten years; that’s a long time to be kicking off blankets and peeling off clothing layers!

The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through a decade of misery. At Women to Women, we’ve been helping our patients manage their hormonal imbalance and regain control of their health – and their body temperatures – for decades. Let’s look a little more closely at hot flashes and night sweats and what we can do to feel better now, not ten years from now!

Treating Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

If you’ve had a hot flash or night sweats, you know how uncomfortable and awkward it can be. Thankfully, there are more options than just keeping the thermostat down, avoiding spicy foods, which several authors suggest as treatment options, or opting for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has been linked to breast and ovarian cancers even when only taken for short durations.

When your body is experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance it means that your systems and hormones are out of alignment: your symptoms are a message from your body asking you to pay attention.

During our transition before and after menopause, our hormones are shifting and the ratio of estrogen to progesterone and testosterone is constantly changing. When these ratios get out of balance, we experience symptoms such as hot flashes and many other well-known menopausal complaints. It IS possible to bring these hormones back into a healthy balance and our Menopause Support System has proven very effective in helping the body do so and alleviating symptoms during this transition.

But while nutritional supplementation and support is a critical component, it’s not as simple as just popping a pill and making it all go away; to receive optimal relief and restore health so that you can feel like yourself again, you’re going to need to make some simple lifestyle and diet changes as well.

That’s because our sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, are secondary hormones and our primary hormones of insulin, adrenalin and cortisol take precedence when it comes to getting the support and nutrition your body needs to perform optimally. If these hormones are out of balance, your body will focus on restoring harmony there first and your best efforts to address your menopausal symptoms may not yield the results you are seeking.

For example, insulin controls your blood sugar levels so if your diet is full of sugar, starch and carbohydrates, your menopausal complaints may well be more severe and will likely stay around longer. Similarly, if you live a very stressful chaotic life and you don’t take time for relaxation, meditation and self-care, you may experience adrenal fatigue because your adrenalin and cortisol will be out of balance. If there is an imbalance in any of the primary hormones, it will slow down symptom relief.

But the good news is that by making some simple diet and lifestyle changes, you can begin to feel much better and alleviate not just hot flashes, but weight gain, mood changes and all of your other menopausal symptoms as well.

The first step is to minimize processed foods and sugar and instead opt for fresh whole foods: grass-fed meats, wild caught salmon and omega-3 rich fish, and organic produce whenever you can will go a long way to restoring balance and helping you feel better. It’s important to watch out for hidden sugars such as high fructose corn syrup that wreak havoc on your insulin levels and to avoid vegetable oils and other omega 6 processed oils and the boxed foods that contain them.

You can learn more about sugar in our article here.

In addition, in the study, researchers also found that lifestyle concerns and psychosocial factors have an impact on how disruptive hormonal imbalance symptoms may be. In other words, the scientists are saying that if you have stress or distress in other areas of your life, it is more likely to show up in the form of symptoms in your physical body than if you don’t. We’ve seen this first-hand at women to women for years.

Those women in the JAMA study who experienced symptoms for longer periods of time included those who were under financial strain, under greater perceived stress, experiencing more depression or anxiety, seemed to be more sensitive to their symptoms and those who experienced symptoms at younger ages. So it’s important to reduce stress from your life by making changes where you can and by implementing stress relief practices such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, journaling, deep breathing, eating well and getting a good night’s sleep.

Menopausal Symptom Relief Is Possible

One of the major conclusions of the JAMA study was that most physicians are unaware of the severity and the duration of many menopausal symptoms including VMS. If your practitioner thinks they will go away on their own, or that living with them for a few months (or years!) is ok, find a practitioner that will work with you to improve your diet and lifestyle and give your body the support it is crying out for. Symptoms of hormonal imbalance mean your body is out of alignment and needs to be re-balanced. And with the study results indicating that this imbalance can last as long as a decade, taking a wait and see attitude is not the best solution for your health, or your comfort.

At Women to Women, we have been successfully treating symptoms of hormonal imbalance including hot flashes and night sweats for three decades. We have found that in addition to changing your diet, basic nutritional support in the form or a pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin and omega 3 fatty acid supplement fill in the nutritional gaps that can result in your body’s sensitivity to symptoms such as VMS.

In today’s world with our busy lives and our compromised food supply, it is nearly impossible to get all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and co-factors your body needs for optimal function in a form that your body can absorb. In addition, if you are experiencing more severe, more frequent, or more numerous physical or emotional symptoms, our proprietary blend of natural herbs to support you will provide the relief from your symptoms you are seeking and help to restore your hormonal balance so they don’t come back. While diet and lifestyle changes go along way, when you add in nutritional supplementation support, it’s possible to go symptom-free and finally feel like yourself again.

Let today be the last day you have a hot flash – or the last night you wake up hot and drenched! Order now.

To learn more about our Menopause support system click here.

If you missed our last newsletter on vitamins, you can read it here.

The Truth About Perimenopausal Weight Gain

womentowomen on August 11, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

As women, we spend so much of our lives comparing ourselves to other women – whether it’s our friends, our co-workers, our sisters, or the many women who stare back at us from the pages of magazines or TV and film screens. We use them as models of what is good and beautiful, and what is not. Many of us struggle to accept that our nose or our thighs are just never going to look like Gisele’s.

Finally we make peace with our bodies and learn to love them as they are and then BAM! Perimenopause shows up with all its challenges, from hot flashes to headaches to the dreaded weight gain. SS Pensive Woman Hands TogetherSuddenly we find ourselves looking in the mirror wishing we could have our old bodies back. Perimenopausal weight gain is very common; it’s our bodies’ way of adapting to our new hormone levels and supporting us during the changes that nature intended to occur as we leave our reproductive years behind.

But just because it’s common doesn’t mean its mandatory. We all have a metabolic set point, and that set point can change, but it does not need to change after menopause. Weight gain is another symptom of imbalance in your body and with some effort and care, you can maintain — or restore — your ideal weight in perimenopause and menopause and beyond.

Let’s look at what is going on that is encouraging your body to store more fat and what we can do to help our bodies to let it go.

Causes of Menopausal Weight Gain

While we are all unique and we each face our own weight challenges, there are some common causes of menopausal weight gain that many women struggle with. Our hormones and our fat cells are part of a complex and comprehensive network responsible for metabolism, appetite, digestion, heat regulation, and detoxification. Any breakdown in communication will result in symptoms like hot flashes, food cravings, and yes, weight gain.

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In order to prevent weight gain, we need to ensure that the network is communicating regularly and effectively so that there are no breakdowns. There are many connections and links between hormones and fat and we are still learning about all of them. But one absolutely critical link is the connection between insulin, metabolism and body fat.

Insulin Resistance

Our bodies have three primary hormones: insulin, adrenaline, and cortisol. Adrenaline and cortisol manage our stress response while insulin controls our blood sugar levels. In other words, food and stress directly affect our hormones! Insulin is driven by the food we eat and when we eat too much sugar, white flour and processed foods, insulin levels will rise. When we are exposed to high or chronic stress, adrenaline and cortisol will increase.

Whenever our body is out of alignment and struggling with a primary hormone, it does not have the resources or the ability to produce optimal levels of secondary hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Many of us eat too much white sugar and white flour, too many processed foods and carbohydrates and not enough healthy fats.

SS Chocolate Fudge CakeWhether your weakness is bread, pasta, sugared coffee drinks, alcohol or dessert, if your blood glucose levels are high and you are approaching insulin resistance, or have insulin sensitivity, your body will convert every calorie it can into fat. That’s because even though you may be gaining weight, your cells are actually starving for the healthy nutrients they need!

In addition, whether you have been diagnosed with diabetes or insulin resistance or not, many of us have insulin sensitivity and have glucose levels that are higher than they should be. Heading into perimenopause, this is a recipe for weight gain. Your body will store fat to ensure it has what it needs, and your hormonal imbalance and sugar consumption may lead to cravings that are hard to resist. If you do choose a high sugar option, be sure to add some protein to help stabilize your blood sugar levels.

For more information, read our numerous articles about this topic in our Insulin Resistance category in our Health Library.

On a side note, I just want to say that the answer to sugar cravings is not artificial sweeteners. These sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), sucralose (Splenda), and saccharin (Sweet ’n Low or Sugar Twin) have toxic effects on the body that can bring a host of side effects including headaches and digestive problems and can also exacerbate your underlying hormonal imbalance issues. For more information on this topic, read our article, “Sugar Substitutes And The Potential Danger Of Splenda“.

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Menopause Myths and The Answers You Need

womentowomen on May 16, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Menopause is a time of change and it can be so confusing! There is so much information out there (and so many stories) about what will happen to your body — and your life! Will you gain weight, lose your sex drive, suffer from hot flashes?

SS Woman Question Marks BlueWill menopause feel as though it’s hitting you like a freight train? It may feel that way for some women – while for others, it sneaks up over time and catches them by surprise. Over the last 25 years, I’ve seen firsthand that it’s a different experience for every woman – but surprisingly, there are myths about menopause that many women still believe to be universally true.

I see it over and over again with our patients and our members. They come to us frustrated or upset about what they have been told will happen to them, even if they are not yet experiencing any symptoms!

So what’s your menopause IQ? Do you understand what is going on with your body and how best to navigate this transition? Without the right information, addressing your hormonal changes and finding the most effective solutions for your own unique symptoms and experiences will be more difficult than it needs to be.

Menopause is a transition that may not be simple, but that doesn’t have to mean that it must be hard. Whether you are trying to make sense of your symptoms and their impact on your body or you are just beginning to learn more about what may lie ahead for you, debunking the menopause myths will help you to make the decisions that are right for YOU.

Discover how much you know with our eye-opening menopause questions below and learn more about what to expect in menopause!

1.  Does menopause typically begin at age 50?

The average age for women beginning menopause is age 52 but the truth is, premature menopause can start for you as early as your late 30’s and menopause can come as late as your 60’s, though this is less common. For most women, their menopause timeline lies more within the late forties to mid-50’s range.

Most people think that menopause is a long process, but menopause actually occurs once you have officially gone 12 months without any menstrual bleeding. SS Tampon Pads CalendarAfter that, you are considered to be post-menopausal, though for many that does not mean your symptoms are over!

The period leading up to menopause is called perimenopause and it can be just a few months or as long as 13 years! During this time, you may be experiencing a variety of symptoms including hot flashes, irritability, fatigue, or weight gain. These symptoms can come as a surprise to many women who are still having their period, and may be (or may think they are!) years away from menopause.

Symptoms are often more common — or more severe — during this time leading up to menopause as your sex hormones, which include estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, can fluctuate more dramatically than they do after menopause.

You can learn more about this time in our article, “Am I in Menopause?“.

2.  Is it true that I won’t know I’m in menopause until my first hot flash hits?

When that first hot flash hits, it is a good indication that you are in perimenopause. However, many women experience other symptoms first. It’s not uncommon to experience weight gain, cravings, irregular periods, fuzzy thinking, lower libido, hair loss, irritability, mood swings, depression and/or anxiety, or fatigue long before you ever feel that first hot flash. (And some women survive their perimenopausal journey without ever having a hot flash!)

The list of symptoms is long and if you begin by experiencing depression or weight gain, for example, you may not immediately connect the dots to menopause.

Your symptoms may or may not include hot flashes so it’s good to know what to look for so that you can find relief. Our article, “Relief Tips for the Top Five Menopause Symptoms” can get you started.

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Dry Eyes and Hormone Imbalance

womentowomen on January 2, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

They say that your eyes are said to be the window to your soul and if you look deep within you can see the person’s genuineness and truth! But what happens when your eyes aren’t seeing clearly they are irritated, dry, red, and itchy? If you have symptoms of dry eyes, you might have something else going on in your body that needs attention.

Most people think of hot flashes, moodiness, vaginal dryness, and night sweats when they think of menopause. Research has found, however, that dry eyes affect 60 percent of menopausal women. There are other imbalances at work that might also affect the eye and they often become more evident when your hormones begin to fluctuate.

If you experience dry, itchy and irritated eyes, you may have tried to treat your dry eyes with eye drops to reduce the irritation. But many times this is like putting a band-aid on an abscess. We are not looking at the real issue. At Women to Women we have had tremendous success treating this problem by looking upstream for the actual causes, antecedents or triggers. So let’s discuss the symptoms of dry eyes and how you can learn methods to restore a healthy balance to your eyes and your body again.

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Dry eye symptoms

Temporary mild symptoms of tired, itchy, or red eyes that abate with sleep, a change in environment, or taking your contact lenses out can be chalked up to obvious culprits. But worsening or persistent symptoms should be taken seriously. They include:

  •  itchiness
  •  a scratchy or gritty feeling
  •  tears running down the cheeks
  •  increasingly tired eyes during the day
  •  irritation from smoke, wind, or air movement
  •  stringy mucus
  •  sensitivity to light
  •  blurriness
  •  problems wearing contact lenses

There are some symptoms (red, itchy, tired) that are mild and are relieved with rest, environmental change, or by removing your glasses or contacts. If the symptoms persist or get worse, please see your doctor. Serious symptoms include the following:

  •  blurriness
  •  extra sensitivity to light
  •  irritation from smoke, wind, or air movement
  •  itchiness
  •  problems with wearing contact lenses
  •  a scratchy or gritty feeling
  •  stringy mucus in your eye
  •  tears that spill out of your eyes and running down your cheeks
  •  increasingly tired eyes during the day

It is recommended that if you have dry eye that you begin to seek treatment for your dry eyes, so that you can avoid harsh damage like scaring your cornea, which in turn can cause ulcers. You are also at a higher risk of an eye infection, because the fluids in your eye can’t carry the debris away and protect your eye. Furthermore, you might also notice changes in your vision and feel constant pain in your eyes.

Causes of dry eyes

There are two reasons that dry eyes develop: (1) not enough oil production by the meibomian glands (in the inner eyelids) or (2) excessive evaporation of the tears. Usually people are affected with low oil and high evaporation. If you have certain autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis, lupus, and Sjögren’s syndrome, you are more prone to develop dry eye.

If you have ongoing symptoms of dry eye, please call your doctor to schedule an evaluation.

Below are some common reasons that may contribute to your dry eyes:

  •  Reading or computer work (you may not blink enough to redistribute eye fluid)
  •  Living and/or working in dry environments
  •  Contact lenses that absorb eye fluids
  •  LASIK eye surgery, which cuts nerves and reduces blinking
  •  Allergy drugs, diuretics, beta-blockers, birth control pills, or other drugs
  •  Diets poor in essential fatty acids or anti-inflammatory foods
  •  Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, lupus, and Sjögren’s syndrome, which also causes dryness in the mouth.
  •  Eyes that have excessive droopiness

As a functional medical practitioner, I believe it is important to dig deeper and try to identify the cause of the dry eyes. If we take a closer look we know that hormones are quite important for production of tears and lubrication of the eyes.

Dry eyes and hormonal changes

The way in which particular hormones affect your eyes depends on your individual genes and diet and lifestyle. Since we know that hormones are important to your eye health and studies have associated androgen (testosterone) and estrogen receptors on the cornea and on the meibomian gland. What this means is that there is a connection between your tears and your sex hormones.

Before menopause it is known that the greater your testosterone, the fewer tears you produce and the greater your estrogen, the greater your tears. During menopause, this reverses, the greater your testosterone, the greater your tears and the greater your estrogen, the fewer your tears. We have much more to learn about how hormones play a role in the lubrication of your eyes, but we are understanding that dry eyes can result from a deficiency in estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone.

If your eyes are dry for a long period of time then you will experience inflammation. The immune response releases inflammatory substances that make your eyes become red, itchy, and swollen. Dry eye symptoms go along with other menopausal signs of “drying,” such as sore joints and dry vaginal tissues. One way to help remedy your dry eyes is to restore a natural balance among estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. For a better view of dry eye, let’s look to the East.

An alternative approach to dry eyes

The eyes are crucial diagnostic tools in many Eastern healing traditions. Practitioners will look deeply at a patient’s eyes to obtain better insight about the health concerns. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the eyes are thought to be where your purest energy flows. When your life is balanced and you are healthy, your eyes radiate clarity that is visible to the practitioner. When your life is not balanced, your eyes show it, because the liver (organ of detoxification) rules the eye in TCM.

Symptoms of dry eye might be a warning sign that your body is not detoxifying properly and thus inflammation occurs. The inflammation connection is supported many conventional eye doctors who encourage their patients to add omega-3 supplements or fish oil to their dry eye treatment. A recent study showed that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of dry eye by 20 percent compared to women with low levels of omega–3.

In addition, there are other benefits when you increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids (with supplements; eating fish, such as mackerel, tuna, or wild salmon; or eating some nuts and seeds). They naturally moderate inflammation. They also assist in tear stimulation and secretion and help to increase oils in the secretion. In addition they are thought to moderate extra production of estrogen. These all help provide natural lubrication instead of temporary “artificial” relief, such as over the counter eye drops.

Eye drops and artificial tears

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, most people use eye drops or “artificial tears” to help relieve symptoms of dry eye. The good news is that the drops can help make you more comfortable temporarily. The not-so-good news is that it’s only a temporary relief, and your symptoms will probably reoccur.

If you choose to use eye drops then please educate yourself on what is out there because eye drops can vary quite a bit. You will want to make sure that you are not using something that has preservatives that might further irritate your eyes. And remember that the drops that “get the red out” are not for dry eyes. To find permanent relief, you need to look deeper and not depend on the eye drops.

Functional dry eye relief

I’ve helped women find permanent relief from their dry eye symptoms by building up their healthy nutrition and restoring their hormonal balance. You are unique and might have to try a few combinations to find what works best for you. I believe that supplemental essential fatty acids and a nutritious diet will help with dry eyes. So let’s start here with some methods for you to try:

Nutrition. Eat three healthy and sensible meals and snacks every day. The meals should always include whole foods. Take a daily multivitamin, essential fatty acids, with EPA and DHA, plus vitamin E, which helps omega-3 do its work. Look for the right balance of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9—it is all about balance. Read the label to determine if it’s free of lead, mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants.

Balance your hormones. Endocrine support can help your body produce natural levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Try eating more whole grains, less sugar, and fewer processed foods. This will help to control insulin levels and keep inflammation under control.

Check your medications. If you are on prescription drugs, talk to your healthcare provider to see if anything might be causing your dry eyes. There could be alternate medications.

Avoid pollution and irritants. Smoke aggravates dry eyes. Avoid rubbing your eyes because that can disturb the tear film, remove tears, and transfer irritants to your eye. If you wear makeup it is suggested that you purchase hypoallergenic make-up.

Hydrate and humidify. If you are dehydrated, the fluid in your eyes can be depleted, so drink lots of water and herbal teas. Another thing you can try is a humidifier. Clean it with soap so you don’t add more irritants to the air.

Blink! Try to blink every five seconds, especially when staring at your computer screen or kindle or Ipad.

Special care with contact lenses. Contact lenses can soak up the fluid in your eye and they also collect proteins on the surface, which further irritates the eyes. Keep lenses clean, and try not to wear them all the time. If you need to use eye drops, check the label, as not all drops are made to be used with contacts.

Get more sleep! Enjoy the goodness of regular sleep! This will give you’re your eyes the rest they need and will also help reduce the stress that contributes to imbalance in your hormones. Your body repairs its cells and detoxifies while you sleep, which in turn also helps decrease inflammation.

Paying attention to your third eye

You have a “third eye” and it’s your intuition. This could be the best tool for you to find a way to keep your eyes healthy. Dry eye is a common symptom during menopause. Many women experience this symptom and many get relief. Be patient while you are improving, and speak with your doctor if your symptoms get worse. Eyesight is an important part of daily lives and we tend to take it for granted. Make positive changes for your healthy lifestyle that will benefit you and your eyes.

How Can You Feel Good With Early Menopause

womentowomen on January 1, 2014

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Menopause is a time of life that many women dread. They hear horror stories about it’s symptoms, including weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, and vaginal dryness, all that can be quite bothersome. This is especially true for women experiencing early menopause. If you are between 40 and 45 and are beginning this life shift much sooner than you expected, you may be upset and concerned, and rightfully so.

But while menopause does create many challenges for women, there are also many remedies. When we pay attention to our symptoms, we have taken the first step in correcting them.

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Signs of early menopause

In early menopause estrogen levels can rapidly decline causing symptoms to appear suddenly, feel severe, and last longer. Here are some telltale signs you are in early menopause.

  •  You are between the ages of 40-45
  •  You experienced an absence of periods for a full 12 months.
  •  You may be suffering from common symptoms including hot flashes, headaches, weight gain, depression, insomnia, mood swings, fuzzy thinking or fatigue.

For most women in early menopause, addressing the hormonal imbalance is the first step to finding relief from physical and even emotional symptoms.

Understanding the difference in types of menopause

There are many terms to describe the different stages of the menopause cycle, which makes it confusing for women who just want to understand why they are not feeling like themselves. These phases are all physiologically different, but the symptoms can feel similar.

Perimenopause is a transition easily confused with menopause that can last for several years. This phase presents similar symptoms to menopause that gradually increase, including fatigue, irritability, mood swings, and weight gain. The difference is that women in perimenopause continue to have periods, although they may be irregular. When you do not have a period for 12 months, you have entered menopause.

Early menopause occurs in women between the ages of 40 and 45, and occurs naturally, in other words, is not medically or surgically initiated.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) occurs when the ovaries slow or stop production of mature eggs and reproductive hormones before age 40. Between 5 and 10 percent of women diagnosed with POF actually go on become pregnant without any medical intervention.

Surgical menopause is a result of a hysterectomy, oophorectomy (removal of ovaries,) and other pelvic surgeries. Ablations, procedures to remove the lining of the uterus, can mimic menopause by stopping menstrual periods.

Medical menopause may occur after medical treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and during the course of various drug regimens. A common one is tamoxifen, used primarily to prevent the reoccurrence of breast cancer.

No matter what stage or type of menopause you may be experiencing, any abrupt change in your symptoms necessitates a visit to your health care provider. This is especially true if you think you are in early menopause or premature ovarian failure.

Possible cause of early menopause

When many of my patients learn they are in premature menopause they ask, “why me?” Symptoms often catch them by surprise, and they worry about what may have caused it, or what it means for their future. We don’t have all the answers about what causes early menopause, but we do know there are some definitive factors.

Genes: Women with a family history of premature menopause are 60 percent more likely to experience it themselves.

Also, events that occur in utero while a female’s ovaries are developing may result in a smaller number of egg-producing cells, which can then shorten a woman’s reproductive lifespan.

Environment: Toxins in our environment may be contributing to reproductive changes found in both women and men, although scientists have yet to uncover the exact causes.

Lifestyle: These factors are associated with early menopause

  •  Poor nutrition and poverty.
  •  Smoking increases your risk of early menopause by 30 percent.
  •  Alcohol may contribute to entering the phases of menopause at an earlier age, although not necessarily as “early menopause”.
  •  Medical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can initiate menopause earlier than usual.

Studies show that oral contraceptives however, may actually reduce your risk for early menopause.

Relief for the symptoms of early menopause

Our estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels are constantly shifting throughout our life, and that’s normal. But as we age, the fluctuations and ratios between these hormones can become more extreme. When the body cannot regulate these shifts in hormone levels, women can experience common symptoms of menopause, including night sweats, hot flashes, food cravings, and fatigue.

But by approaching these symptoms naturally, balance can be restored, and both the frequency and severity of symptoms will improve. Here’s how.

Nutrients provided by both a diet consisting of healthy, whole foods, along with nutritional supplements can help restore balance at the cellular level.

Herbal remedies can help balance the fluctuations in hormone levels. A functional medicine provider can work with you to determine exactly what herbs you need to help your specific imbalances.

Lifestyle changes including removing environmental toxins, getting proper sleep, and reducing chronic stress can help reduce the symptoms associated with early menopause.

All of these changes can effectively and proactively help you reduce your risk for diseases as well, especially of the heart and bones.

Health concerns with early menopause

Our sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone,) are beneficial in the years leading up to menopause, by offering protection against cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. To continue protecting against these health issues, talk with your healthcare practitioner about your risks, and consider adding the following steps to your daily routine.

Support your bones by adding more Vitamin D. This inexpensive supplement can help bones stay strong and resilient.

Tend to your heart. Studies show that women who go through menopause before age 46 are twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease or have a stroke. Proper nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking are the top three ways to help protect our hearts. But there are other ways to lower our risk for heart-related health conditions.

High quality omega-3 supplements can nourish our cardiovascular system.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may also be appropriate to address any long term health risks associated with early menopause.

Many women choose natural methods to support their bodies as they go through the stages of menopause, and beyond. If you work with a health practitioner and are committed to making appropriate long term adjustments, you can transition through menopause with relative ease, and keep it from impacting your overall health.

Emotional impact of early menopause

Menopause is certainly a milestone for most women. But the impact of early menopause can be quite dramatic. It can cause a shift in a younger woman’s sense of identity, making her feel powerless, and older than her age. Some women even feel they have lost their womanhood (a common feeling among many women going through menopause.)

The reality for women going through early menopause who chose to wait to become pregnant can be very painful. The path to motherhood is not always what we plan, but that does not mean we will never be mothers. I encourage my patients who are experiencing early menopause to seek additional emotional support if needed, to help work through some of the emotions associated with its arrival.

Menopause can be a time of reflection and insight. It does not prompt you to let go of the past, only to honor it and to shift the way you think about your life. When you have natural supports in place to relieve the physical symptoms of menopause, your emotional health will not suffer. In fact, you may actually welcome this change wholeheartedly, embracing the next phase of life.

Treatments For Vaginal Dryness

womentowomen on December 23, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP

Middle age woman relaxing with tablet computer at home vaginal drynessIf you are like many women we see in our clinic and you suffer from vaginal dryness, we have words of hope for you. You can find relief without taking large amounts of estrogen into your system. Locally applied bioidentical estrogens are considered a much safer option than oral hormone therapy since most of them allow only minimal amounts of estrogen to enter into your circulation.

We encourage you to be evaluated by your gynecologist to make sure there is no underlying cause for your vaginal dryness; and it’s important to follow up to make sure your condition improves. We want you to know, however, that the first step most practitioners will take in treating vaginal dryness will include a prescription for Premarin Vaginal Cream. This product contains estrogens from female horses, which are unnatural to our bodies and often much too strong. It’s nice to know there are several safe and effective bioidentical choices for treating vaginal dryness. The greatest news of all is that the creams are just as effective – in fact, probably more so.

The three key estrogens are estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Presently pharmaceutical companies produce estradiol-based bioidentical vaginal products. You should have as much information as possible so that you know which ones to request. The charts that are below list the vaginal dryness treatments we most commonly prescribe at the Women to Women Clinic. We’ve also listed some nonprescription choices to use in addition to bioidentical estrogen, or on their own, to help to soothe inflamed vaginal tissues.

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PRESCRIPTION ESTROGEN PRODUCTS* for VAGINAL DRYNESS

Estriol vaginal cream 
Contents Women to Women health care clinic patients are prescribed estriol vaginal cream, as a first stage of intervention. It is formulated in a pH-balanced base in concentrations of 0.6 mg/g or 0.8 mg/g.  Sometimes the dose is higher if the atrophy is severe.
Typical use One gram is inserted vaginally at bedtime every night for 7-10 nights, then 2-3 times weekly on-going. A small amount of the cream can be applied to the vulva and external areas of the vagina as needed.
Pros Estriol vaginal cream is a great option for vaginal dryness, because it is so gentle and  safe to use, especially if there are concerns related to breast cancer. Many of the local oncologists are now using estriol for women that have a history or have present disease. This type of cream will slowly but effectively help both internal and external vaginal tissue, and can also be used on the vulva and urethral tissue. Results may be expected in as little as 1-2 weeks.Estriol vaginal cream can also be custom-compounded to include a small amount of testosterone and DHEA. This is especially beneficial for many women as it quickly plumps up the tissue and can also increase sex drive.
Cons Some women report the cream feels messy. In order for this to remain an effective method, you need to use it as recommended. It is not intended for use as a personal lubricant for sexual intercourse.  The best time to use this is at night before bed. Some women also have some burning when they first introduce the cream, but changing the base can alleviate this symptom.
Availability Estriol vaginal cream is available only by prescription from your provider. Many compounding pharmacies are able to formulate this and it is almost always very affordable.  Many insurance companies do not pay for this product.

Vagifem vaginal inserts
Contents The Vagifem estradiol vaginal tablets are little, white suppositories containing 10.3 mcg of 17ß-estradiol hemihydrate, which is equivalent to 10 mcg of estradiol. They come in boxes of 8 or 18 tabs. Each box comes with an applicator.
Typical use One suppository is used vaginally at bedtime anywhere from 7–14 nights, and then reduced to one insert two to three nights per week for maintenance.
Pros These inserts are not messy, they are easy to use and it is very effective for renewing the vaginal tissues. With a little time, the vulva also usually responds.
Cons Vagifem usually does not work as quickly as creams do to the external tissues. You have to use it regularly to maintain results. For women with severe atrophy a cream may be necessary to use initially and then the suppositories can be used. It is not intended for use as a lubricant prior to sexual intercourse.
Availability This brand name product is available by prescription through regular pharmacies.

Estrace vaginal cream
Contents Estradiol vaginal cream, USP, 0.01%
Typical use One gram is applied vaginally at bedtime for approximately 7-10 nights, and then should be reduced to 1–3 times per week for long-term care. Massaging small amounts to the vulva and inner labia can also be very helpful.  This recommendation is seldom mentioned on the insert directions.
Pros Results are often noted in 1–2 weeks, but it may take longer for optimal results. Using this product can be very helpful for those with extreme atrophy prior to using the Vagifem or 90 day ring products.
Cons Women often complain that it can feel messy, especially the first days of use. You should keep in mind that you need to keep with the routine to maintain results.  It also should not be used prior to sex as it is a hormone. A burning sensation has been reported, therefore you may want to consider duplicating the cream with a compounding pharmacy in a more hypoallergenic, pH-balanced base to help with the comfort.
Availability This brand name product is available by prescription through regular pharmacies.

Estring 90-day vaginal ring
Contents Estring (estradiol vaginal ring) is a silicone-based ring containing 2 mg estradiol. Estring releases estradiol (approximately 7.5 mcg/24 hours) in a consistent stable manner over 90 days.
Typical use One ring is inserted into the vagina and stays in place for 90 days. After 90 days, it is replaced with new ring.
Pros This delivers a low dose of estradiol for 90 days of use with no modifications needed. It can help to provide support to the walls of the vagina in women whose pelvic floor muscles have weakened or are weak.
Cons This device does require some amount of skill to insert and take out. Certain women have had discomfort with the insertion and removal process and opt to visit with their practitioner every 90 days to have it done for them. Many women find an Estring comfortable; while others do not like the way it feels and complain that it is uncomfortable. The use of Estrace vaginal cream for one month prior to initial insertion of an Estring can greatly improve the comfort level. Occasionally some women complain of breast tenderness with the estring – if this happens you may be getting too much estrogen that is actually getting systemically absorbed. This product has also been known to exacerbate endometriosis if it is present.
Availability This brand name product is available by prescription through regular pharmacies.

Femring 90-day vaginal ring
Contents Femring (estradiol acetate) is a flexible silicone-based ring which contains time-released estradiol acetate. It is available in two strengths: 0.05 mg/day and 0.10 mg/day. The 0.10 mg/day usually requires special ordering. Both of these strengths issue estradiol acetate daily for 3 months and supply system-wide, not just vaginal-specific estrogen replacement therapy. This is quite different in its applicability as it is a type of Hormone Replacement Therapy which also provides estrogen locally and systemically.
Typical use A ring is placed into the vagina for 90 days and then removed and replaced as needed.
Pros The Femring is softer and is more flexible than the Estring, so insertion and removal is reported as easier for many women. It can help to support the walls of the vagina for women whose pelvic floor muscles are weak.
Cons Some women aren’t comfortable inserting and removing the device, so they may require a visit to their provider every 90 days to have it changed. Some women are not comfortable wearing this particular type of device. This product has a potential for causing exacerbation of endometriosis discomfort in women with a history of this due to the potent delivery of estrogen directly within the pelvic area.
Note The product provides estradiol vaginally, as well as systemically,  similar to the estradiol patch or other forms of Hormone Replacement Therapy, to treat vasomotor (for example hot flashes) as well as vaginal symptoms. This is not just a localized vaginal treatment, but is a hormone replacement treatment for system wide therapy. If you still have your uterus, you must use a prescription-strength progesterone (bioidentical) product, like Prometrium, with this product.
Availability This brand name product is available by prescription through regular pharmacies.
* Note: Brand name pharmaceuticals are all FDA-approved and regulated.  These products are packaged with the same warnings that the FDA states must be listed on all estrogen products. There is evidence to suggest that taking low-doses of estradiol either through topical means or vaginally does not increase the risk for blood clots to the degree that taking estrogen by mouth does.  However, the FDA continues to require the warning label on all estrogen products.

Treatment choices for vaginal dryness

This chart can help you understand the choices that are available. When you are speaking with your practitioner about topical bioidentical estrogen, it may help to have a little more information.

Non-hormonal products for vaginal dryness

There are many non-hormonal treatments that we can look at to help soothe vaginal dryness. Non-prescription products for vaginal dryness can be used as needed. They may be used in-between or in addition to the prescription bioidentical estrogen. Some women feel very discouraged – they have tried everything and have found no relief. Another similar case is a breast cancer patient who does not wish to risk using vaginal estrogen. For both of these women, we recommend manual massage with some sort of lubricant.

Always be sure to read the labels on the products you are considering to use and make sure to choose ones that contain no harsh chemical ingredients, preservative, petro chemicals, endocrine disruptors or other irritants. It’s best to avoid alcohol, parabens and propylene glycol. In the chart below we’ve listed a few products which have been used by many women and usually have a great results.

OVER-THE-COUNTER PRODUCTS for VAGINAL DRYNESS

Vitamin E vaginal suppositories
These are excellent for women who are not using a prescription products or on the night you do not use the vaginal estrogen product.  (Be sure to only choose a natural-source vitamin E products).

Natural oils
Grapeseed, olive, sweet almond, sunflower, or coconut are great natural oils that are gentle during or after bathing and even with sexual intercourse.

Sylk
Sylk is a natural personal lubricant which is a wonderful alternative that numerous women prefer. This natural lubricant is made from the kiwifruit vine, Sylk contains no parabens or propylene glycol. It tends to be less sticky than other lubricants.

Astroglide
Astroglide is a lubricant which is beneficial for providing more lubrication when the area tends to be drier and more friction is experienced. This then helps to decrease discomfort with intercourse by decreasing the friction. You can find it in glycerin-free and also paraben-free for those that are concerned.

At Women to Women, we know that each woman is different and unique in her response to vaginal bioidentical estrogen and other products. Please understand that you may need to try several before your vaginal dryness resolves. Be patient with yourself, and with your body, and never give up hope. You always have options, whether you have mild or severe, occasional or on-going vaginal dryness. We want you to know your alternatives. Some women find that improving their diet and using a personal lubricant alleviates their vaginal dryness; other women may need to use stronger treatments. Try the above options, and if one or two don’t help you find relief from your vaginal dryness, try to stay hopeful and receptive to trying another approach until you’re successful.