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FEATURE The change of life The menopause is a pivotal time in a woman’s life, but the good news is you can transition yourself through the process with some holistic solutions. T he menopause can prove a tricky time for women, especially when you consider symptoms can be experienced for anything from seven to 14 years! For some, symptoms are manageable, but for others, they impact their day-to-day life hugely. On the flip side, there is a huge amount holistically you can do to manage the transition, both from a nutrition and lifestyle point of view, and here, Natural Lifestyle calls on a range of nutrition experts to offer their tips. What to expect The menopause is inevitable for all women, and although the age you experience it and for how long varies, there are common symptoms to expect. Why does it occur? But why do you suffer in the first place? “From puberty onwards, an egg will typically be produced every month from a woman’s ovaries. As women age, there is a gradual decline in the number of eggs, which results in the ovaries producing less oestrogen and progesterone. By the time a woman reaches the menopause, the production of hormones by the ovary, including oestrogen and progesterone, falls to very low levels,” Jenny explained. “Oestrogen and progesterone normally stop the hormone signals from the brain, but now, because of their very low levels, they are unable to do this. As a result, the brain sends much higher levels of hormones to try to make the ovaries produce eggs. Most of the menopausal symptoms that women experience are thought to be due to these hormonal changes.” Dr Glenville continued: “When women talk about going through the menopause, they are actually describing the 18 meno.indd 18 www.mynaturallifestyle.com Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is the UK’s leading nutritionist specialising in women’s health, and she explained: “On average, symptoms can last 7.4 years but they can go on for 14 years but a woman can make diet and lifestyle changes that means she does not have to put up with the symptoms.” Susie Perry Debice, Nutritionist at Cleanmarine, added: “Most women will start to see signs the menopause is on its way from the age of 50, although an early menopause can start at 45 and a late menopause won’t reveal itself till 55-60.” Jenny Bodenham, Nutritionist at Higher Nature, added: “Menopause is considered to have occurred when a whole year has passed without menstruation. If it occurs before the age of 45, it is considered to be early.” peri-menopause, which is quite a recent term. The more a woman can look after herself during those early peri- menopause years, the more comfortable and easier the transition through the actual menopause can be.” Frankie Brogan, Senior Nutritionist at Pharma Nord, added: “In the case of vaginal atrophy, for example, lack of oestrogen can lead to the thinning of the walls of the vagina and this can then lead to itching, stinging and painful intercourse. Decreasing oestrogen also removes the protective factor against heart disease and can lead to osteoporosis.” There are things that play a role in your experience, including health, dietary, lifestyle, and genetics. “If you suffered from a hormone related condition, such as PMS, endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids and breast conditions, then this is a good indication that your body struggles to keep your hormones in balance and might indicate that your menopause could be somewhat troublesome,” Susie added. Phytoestrogens Dr Glenville highlighted phytoestrogens. “These foods will help cushion the effects of the hormone rollercoaster as you go through the peri-menopause. We know that women who eat a diet rich in phytoestrogens have significantly fewer hot flushes, up to half the amount experienced by women who eat very few phytoestrogens so make sure these are included in your diet and go for variety,” she said, adding: “Don’t base everything around soya, include also chickpeas, lentils, flaxseeds (linseeds) and kidney beans.” Jenny added: “These include Mexican yam, black cohosh and fermented soya isoflavones. They are thought to help modify the effects of insufficient or excess oestrogen in the body, bringing it more into balance and producing some relief from typical menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and night sweats.” Spot the signs “One of the difficulties of dealing with the menopause is this lack of a ‘norm’ – many women don’t realise that their gradual build-up of symptoms or random-seeming health issues are all due to the hormonal shifts going on under the surface, because it is completely individual to them,” commented Eileen Durwood, Menopause Expert at A.Vogel. “It’s very important to be specific about the symptom pattern, as it is not the case that there is a one-size-fits-all solution. This is why a careful analysis of all the symptoms, lifestyle factors, diet, previous health, etc., can be so successful in pinning down the best treatment options.” But why do some suffer to a worse degree? “This can be due to general health, diet, lifestyle and stress levels. Deficiencies of B vitamins and vitamin D can cause hot flushes to be more dramatic,” Eileen added. Susi Lennox, from organic lubricant brand Yes, Yes, Yes, added: “The menopausal drop in oestrogen levels reduces the amount of lubrication a woman’s body naturally produces. For many women, it is the first time they have not felt spontaneously moist when aroused, so that making love can become painful, distressing and even eventually resisted. “The undesirable symptom of vaginal dryness, which can undermine how feminine a woman feels, affecting her relationship and even her day-to-day comfort, is a widely experienced but rarely discussed issue for peri-menopausal women.” FOR MORE TIPS TO LIVE a NATURAL LIFESTYLE LOG ON TO www.mynaturallifestyle.com 22/02/2017 10:31