Category: Menopause

Have you been feeling a little off balance lately ? For a woman, hormone balance is essential to her every day health and well being. It affects her sleep, weight mood, and almost every aspect of her every day life.

Around age 35 a woman’s ovaries start to become less efficient while estrogen and progesterone production start to decrease at different rates. Since the reduction rates of the two are not the same, an imbalance occurs. Since the progesterone rate drops faster than the estrogen rate, a woman becomes estrogen dominant while actually being low on estrogen.

Progesterone induces a calming effect, so a reduced progesterone level will naturally cause problems like weight gain, sleep problems, bloating, changes in menstrual patterns and the decreased ability to handle stressful situations. Regrettably, chronic stress restricts the effects of progesterone creating an endless cycle. Depleted progesterone is a major problem, but it’s not the only problem. The imbalance among other hormones coupled with low estrogen levels all contribute to the symptoms of menopause.

Standard, though ineffective, treatments for menstrual problems, hot flashes, and mood swings are birth control pills and anti-depressants. Actually, according to a recent study, anti-depressants consumed by women between the ages of 40 and 55 has a high potential for triggering night sweats. For women who suffer from mood swings and hot flashes, St. Johns Wart is a more effective natural remedy with no side effects.

Birth control pills can cause problems. Whether you art taking them to prevent a pregnancy or if you are taking them as an ill advised remedy for menstrual problems. They contain an artificial form of progesterone called progestin. Progestin prevents ovulation but also suppresses the natural ability of a woman’s body to produce progesterone. When natural progesterone is depleted it contributes to the side effects of the pill and soon after aggravates menopause related symptoms like weight gain, bloating, irritability, and the increased risk for breast cancer.

The Best Natural Ways To Balance Your Hormones

Exercise: We have all heard about the lack of exercise being detrimental to our health. But there are numerous degrees of exercise. Exercise like training for a marathon or “Iron Man” categories can trigger stress hormones and aggravate others. These types of exercises should be avoided. Try exercises that produce a relaxing effect on the body like yoga, gentle aerobics, or a 3 mph walk.

Manage Stress: Start by getting 7-8 hours of of restful uninterrupted sleep. Manage schedules so there is adequate down-time between the end of one and the beginning of the next one. And make sure you schedule some relaxing activities.

Avoid Toxins: Everywhere you look, there are toxins in our environment. So, this is what you should do. Keep an eye out for the following additives and if you spot them when you read those lists of ingredients put the item back on the shelf. And don’t limit your ingredient reading food items. Check out anything you put into or onto your body. And avoid the following:
Propylene Glycol
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Benzoate
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial Flavoring

Try to choose food with organic labels.

Chaste Berry: Also known as Vitex, is an herb used to relieve PMS, menopausal distress, and irregular periods. One study revealed Chase Berry reduced numerous PMS symptoms including irritability, breast tenderness, and dyspeptic moods.

Dong Quai: This herb is used in traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of menstrual problems. It is also effective at relieving menopausal symptoms and balancing estrogen levels.

L-Theanine: this amino acid is found in Green Tea and lowers elevated stress hormones. It improves sleep but does not cause grogginess. For best results take 50-200 mg during the day for stress reduction or the same dosage in the evening for quality sleep. When starting with the lower dosage (recommended), the effects usually take about 30 minutes to take effect, and usually last for about 8 hours.

Black Cohosh is a plant source of estrogen. It increases estrogen levels to various areas of the body like the brain. This results in the reduction of the occurrences of hot flashes. Also other areas of the body are also affected like the bones, lowering the risk of osteoporosis, and the vagina, preventing vaginal dryness. Taking Black Cohosh in conjunction with St. John’s Wart has proven to be effective in treating depression and the symptoms of menopause. Once again Mother Nature to the rescue.

Menopause is the period that ends a woman’s reproductive phase. Menopause begins at the end of menstruation. Over time, the ovaries gradually lose the ability to produce estrogen and progesterone, hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. As estrogen production decreases, ovulation and menstruation occur very often, and eventually stop. Menstruation can be stopped early due to illness or a hysterectomy. In these cases we speak demenopausia induced.

Symptoms of menopause The symptoms of menopause different women. Some experience symptoms that her friends never suffer. The duration and severity of symptoms varies. Lamenopausia is a natural part of life for all women suffer, some more difficult than others. But one thing that all women have in common is the ability to identify options to deal with their menopausal symptoms. Around the Western world 12% of women experience no menopausal symptoms, and about 14% experience high rate of physical or emotional problems.

Causes of vaginal atrophy The vagina is composed of an inner layer of stratified squamous epithelium, a middle wall muscle and a fibrous outer layer. Before menopause, the presence of endogenous estrogen, the vagina is characterized by thick rough surface, increased blood flow and vaginal lubrication.

Decreased estrogen levels Vaginal atrophy is commonly associated with declining estrogen levels that accompanies menopause (spontaneous or induced) and aging. The decrease of estrogen levels is also associated with atrophy of the vulva and lower urinary tract, commonly referred to as urogenital atrophy. The term describes vaginal atrophy vaginal walls as thin, pale, dry and sometimes inflamed (eg. Atrophic vaginitis). When normal levels of circulating estrogen in premenopausal decline during perimenopause or after induced menopause, the vagina shortens and narrows. The vaginal walls may show small petechiae (ie, round spots, not bulbous, red-purple bleeding caused by intradermal or submucosal) and becomes thinner (often only a few cell layers thick), less elastic, and progressively smoother in the folds fall more rugged. Vaginal blood flow decreases.

Relief from menopause symptoms, vaginal atrophy and other signs of menopause using our all natural feminine care Bio-Active products. These products were developed for women by women who understand your personal menopause care needs.

symptoms of menopause and also many cures for these symptoms. Learn as much as you can about them, and you can take positive steps to find relief for yourself.

Learn more by visiting us at and reading our massive article collection!”>For many women who are approaching the age of menopause, say between late thirties to mid-forties, you most likely have already discovered that your sex drive isn’t what it used to be. This is something that varies greatly from one woman to the next, but the odds are that menopause has at least slowed down your libido somewhat. What to do? Let’s explore some possibilities here.

The main reason for this loss of interest in sex is of course the decrease in hormones, particularly estrogen. Estrogen is a mood-elevator to some degree, and as such when there is less of it in the body a subtle change takes over. Not only is a woman’s mood less than happy, her sex life can suffer due to the lack of desire and sometimes real physical pain of having sex. As you advance into menopause, the vagina will actually begin to dry and shrink somewhat which can lead to a pain that is quite debilitating during sex.

So what can be done about this? There are ways to help ease the symptoms of this dryness, such as using lubricants during sex. Also, an attempt can be made to decrease this trend by trying to boost the hormone testosterone in the body which can be another hormone lacking at this time. Believe it or not, the same hormone that boosts sex drive in men does the same for women.

There are over the counter medications that can help to boost testosterone – one is called DHEA, or Dehdydroepiandrosterone, which is a steroid hormone produced chiefly by the adrenal glands. It can also be made by the ovaries and the brain. It is the most prevalent adrenal steroid in the body and serves a precursor to the human sex steroids, testosterone and estrogen. Unfortunately it decreases in supply as we age, so a supplemental dosage can help to increase the libido in some women.

Since not all doctors are in agreement that DHEA is safe and effective, some prescribe other testosterone boosting medications such as Estratest, which is a combination estrogen and testosterone prescription approved for hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. If you have any worries, you should ask your doctor before trying anything to be safe. The bottom line is what works for some doesn’t work for others, but you won’t find out if you don’t at least try, right?

There are many symptoms of menopause and also many cures for these symptoms. Learn as much as you can about them, and you can take positive steps to find relief for yourself.

Learn more by visiting us at and reading our massive article collection!

The issue of male menopause is a hotly debated one but the evidence is strong that men also suffer the same menopausal-like symptoms that women do. The only difference is, while menopause signals the end of the reproductive stage of a woman’s life, in men, this is not the case.

So should men and menopause be used in the same sentence? The fact remains, men can produce sperm well into their seventies and eighties and this is where the debate rages. If a man can still father children at this time of life then how can they possibly go through menopause?

The problem in identifying male menopause is there is no defined period that a man can experience it. In women, it’s usually in their forties when the big “M” can come knocking at their change of life door. Apart from some isolated instances of women going through it at a much younger age, the general awareness stage starts in their forties.

Andropause

This is a term which is often used in place of male menopause. So what is it? Well, it’s associated with the decline in a man’s testosterone levels. This is usually as a result of aging and men have reported many symptoms associated with menopause such as:

– sexual issues – fatigue – depression – mood swings

The difference between the testes and the ovaries is the former can still produce sperm at a later age. The similarity is, men can also experience testosterone decline at about the same time women begin the reproduction shut down.

Testing For Male Menopause

So how do you know if male menopause may be affecting you? The most logical step is to see your doctor who will first conduct a physical exam and then discuss the symptoms you may be experiencing.

It doesn’t end here though because there are other factors which may come into play. The symptoms may be associated with other conditions which could be contributing. Your doctor will need to test your testosterone levels and will more than likely call for blood tests.

Treatment may include testosterone replacement therapy however, as is the case with hormone replacement therapy for women, there are side effects possible so discuss these with your doctor. One of the more likely ways to combat symptoms of male menopause is making lifestyle changes.

This could include an exercise regime or simply altering one’s dietary habits. Depression can be a major issue during andropause in fact, many believe it doesn’t get the attention it should. Treatment for depression should be strongly considered and your doctor will guide you in this area.

Want to know how to effectively prepare for the symptoms of menopause and save yourself unnecessary stress? Plus, get the latest menopause related news and reviews.

What is menopause
Menopause is derived from the Greek word menos (month) and pause (to stop) refers to the last menstrual period and is generally considered to have occurred after 1 year of amenorrhea. At the age of 45- 50 years:
The sexual cycles in a female usually become irregular;
Ovulation fails to occur during many of the cycles.
After a few months to a few years, the cycles cease and the female sex hormones diminish rapidly to almost none at all. Sometimes the phrase the change of life is used and often doctors use the term climacteric.
Whom does menopause affect
Menopause, occurring on an average at the age of 45, is a normal event but it leads to much pathology in excess of that of the normal aging process. The average age of menopause has not changed for centuries. The age of menopause seems unrelated to socioeconomic factors, race, weight or height although severe malnutrition or cigarette smoking may result in an earlier onset.
The real importance of menopause today lies in the increasing longevity of the 20th century woman. With the increased longevity, women will now spend a third of their lives in the postmenopausal state (characterized by estrogen deficiency) attendant to many long-term symptomatic and metabolic complications.
Why does menopause occur
The cause of menopause is burning out of the ovaries. The aging of the ovary begins even before birth when a progressive decline in the number of primordial follicles compresses. The percentage of growing follicles increases substantially at puberty and is maintained throughout reproductive life and declines in the climacteric period (period of time around menopause).
Natural menopause: Estrogens are produced in sub critical quantities for a short time after menopause, but over a few years falls almost to zero.
Artificial menopause: Besides natural menopause, loss of ovarian function can also occur in patients receiving pelvic radiation or chemotherapy or those having ovarian failure or bilateral surgical removal of ovaries.
What are the different phases of menopause
Menopause can be divided into three phases:
Pre-menopause: There is a little disruption of the ovarian function and the menstrual cycle remains regular. Some symptoms may begin to occur in this phase.
Peri-menopause: This phase represents declining ovarian function with menstrual irregularities and symptoms commonly start or become troublesome during this time.
Post-menopause: Once there have been no menses for 12 months the post-menopause phase is entered.