My fellow female friends,
We do it all and without thinking, proudly put others first, making it look effortless. We are in my opinion rockstars, wearing multiple hats and juggling many roles every day. As we go through life, our bodies undergo hormonal changes that can affect our physical and mental well-being. Brain fog, forgetfulness, and inability to multitask may be attributed to fluctuating hormone levels, particularly estrogen and progesterone. These hormones play a role in cognition and memory function. Additionally, hormonal imbalances can lead to weight gain, specifically around the belly area, due to increased cortisol levels. Irregular or painful periods can also be linked to hormonal fluctuations, as they can impact the menstrual cycle and cause changes in flow and intensity.
Most people when they think or talk about female hormones, they primarily think about the sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, but it is way bigger than that. Women’s hormonal health starts as early as our teenage years and continues on into our reproductive years and menopausal years. An imbalance in our hormones can result in many painful conditions affecting teenage girls, young adult women and can carry over into our later years if not addressed properly. Are you struggling with any of these? You are not alone!
- PMS with heavy or irregular periods
- PMS With anxiety and depression
- PCOS
- Fibroids
- Insulin Resistance
- Endometriosis
- Adenomyosis
- Infertility
- FHA and Anovulatory cycles
But what are hormones? and how do they affect our health? Hormones, simply put, are chemical messengers. They are the body’s way of communicating between glands, organs and other hormones. I like to think of it just like an email or text messaging system mapped throughout the body. If you miss one number or letter, then the email does not send or gets sent to a different place. Hormones are susceptible to similar breakdowns and unintended signals get sent throughout the body or not sent at all, causing all kinds of disruption.
Hormones affect our physical health but also our mental and emotional wellbeing. Hormones control our weight, mood, hunger levels, cravings and so much more. When out of balance, they can wreak havoc on our health.
We have thyroid hormones that affect our metabolism and can mimic a lot of perimenopause symptoms. We have our hunger hormones, Leptin and Ghrelin which can throw off our ability regulate our appetite and let us know when we are full. We all know our stress hormone cortisol way too well! Insulin is another big one and don’t be fooled into thinking that this one only affects people with diabetes. Insulin resistance is a big concern with women young and old and especially those approaching Perimenopause and Menopause. I like to focus a lot on Perimenopause, because I do not believe it gets the attention it deserves…. but what is it and why is it now showing up earlier and earlier in recent years?
Meet Perimenopause … I like to call her Menopause’s younger sister and if you have ever had a younger sister you know at times, they can be trouble and very annoying! (full disclosure, I have 3 youngers sisters and they are all amazing women)
Simply put, Perimenopause is the time around Menopause. Aging and a decline in ovarian function and sex hormones can start to cause an imbalance in our hormones. Perimenopause can be more difficult than Menopause! And it can go on for a lot longer. Yeah, lucky us! Symptoms include but are not limited to; (As I know our partners might have their own unique list of symptoms that can also show up!)
- Brain fog
- Erratic or heavy cycles
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Forgetfulness
- Abdominal weight gain
- Loss of libido
- Symptoms of estrogen dominance
So why is it showing up now as early as our mid 30’s? It’s a combination of a few things …Our stressful lives, non-nourishing foods, lack of restorative sleep, our toxic environment and not to mention a society that lives more indoors with less time in nature and less movement.
We need to prepare our body and mind as early as possible to make this transition smoother. It is a phase that we can navigate when we are informed and given the rights tools and knowledge. We deserve to move powerfully into the next chapter of our lives, and I am here to help you on this journey. Contrary to what we are told we are actually not on the fast decline of losing our estrogen in Perimenopause. We are in fact more susceptible to this fluctuating estrogen that can cause estrogen dominance in some women. We are actually losing more of our beautiful calming hormone, Progesterone, and I want to teach you how to protect that for as long as you can.
Why do we need Estrogen and Progesterone as we age? Estrogen helps build muscle, it is essential for bone health and heart health. It has neuroprotective properties for the brain which we know is crucial as we age. It also helps with insulin sensitivity. Progesterone is important for reducing inflammation and anxiety. It supports the thyroid and increases metabolism. Progesterone promotes normal sleep patterns and supports breast, bone and brain health as we age.
Now, Menopausal Hormone Therapy has come a long way from synthetic hormones to bio-identical hormones but remember not all women will be a candidate for Hormone Therapy, nor will all women need hormone therapy. I fully support that bio identical hormones have a place as we age but it is not a magical wand. It will not reverse insulin resistance. It will not heal a woman’s gut or promote proper liver and thyroid function and it most definitely will not reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
This is where I come in. My role is to support and educate you on this journey. I believe when we understand what is happening in our body, we are better equipped to work with it, not against it. You may hear from your doctor that medication is the only answer to some of your health concerns. Simply not so anymore, there is a lot we can do to reverse and eliminate many of the diseases and health conditions we have today. We are all unique and have our own health history to navigate. Too many women are struggling silently and are not supported through this phase of life.
Allow me to help, get started, and find your way back to better health.
Yours in wellness,
Mandy
Chief Wellness Officer
Be Well with M