Menopause & Perimenopause:
What You Need to Know About the Big 4 Hormones!
Transition. All humans learn to deal with this, but women in particular are used to constant change in their bodies, minds and emotions. Menopause/Peri-Menopause represent a significant time as it actually is a shift from constant cycling/change to a more stable state. But the transition can be very difficult for some women and may come with health and lifestyle challenges that are difficult to understand.
During child bearing years a woman’s body needs to produce certain amounts of hormones to stimulate, among many other physiological processes, reproduction. Hormones are substances the body secretes to maintain proper function of specific organs and tissues. These substances are like messengers telling your body what to do. They can affect basic genetic material and stimulate cell growth and proliferation. They are extremely potent and important during all phases of our lives. The key female hormones critical for reproduction and the menopausal transition include Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone and DHEA:
- Estrogen is the collective term used for the collective three estrogens naturally occurring in our bodies: estrone, estradiol, and estriol.
- Progesterone is the hormone we produce that complements estrogen in the reproductive cycle.
- Testosterone and DHEA have historically been considered “male hormones” but they are still present and very relevant in women’s bodies, and can have impact on overall health.
During perimenopause our hormones start to fluctuate and decline. After the last period they gradually stabilize. Many in the medical field believe that these falling levels of estrogen cause the symptoms we normally associate with menopause. This is an incomplete picture though and very deceiving.
A complete picture would consider a myriad of factors that include lifestyle and culture. After we hit forty, subtle differences in our bodies begin to manifest. Our metabolism and digestion slows down, our muscles lose some tone and it doesn’t feel as easy to keep toned, our skin may not be quite as firm as it used to be and weight may become an issue. Additionally, mental health or mood can change (think emotionality, irritability, anxiety or depression) All these can be effects of time, lifestyle choices and the big one…stress, with no hormonal influence at all. Hormonal flux gets thrown in just for good measure!
To properly identify the causative factors in these changes a detailed consult, proper investigation and thorough testing (hormones, thyroid, adrenal, metabolism) can pinpoint where imbalances/deficiencies lie and focus treatment to achieve balance, a smoother transition and optimal health for the years to come.
Treatment options to help women going through peri & menopause may include nutrition and lifestyle modification, acupuncture, neutraceuticals to correct deficiencies and possibly BioIdentical Hormone therapy as indicated.
BioIdentical hormones are exact molecular duplicates of human hormones and have been safely used for decades in the alleviation of many symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats and irritability, as well as the prevention of early heart disease, the preservation of bone density, and the prevention of age related cognitive decline.
If you are interested in discussing your peri/menopausal journey, learning about the foods, supplements and lifestyle interventions, or even discussing therapies (like BioIdentical Hormone Replacement) that might be advantageous to you, please reach out to our doctors. Drs Holewa and Yim (NDs) are highly skilled and will take the time to listen to your concerns and provide you with the best strategies to optimize your golden years!
Hormone testing can help identify deficiencies, blockages and imbalances to properly focus treatment. Urine hormone testing is one option for thorough understanding and accurate results.