When you start to go through the menopause, all sorts of hormones can start to play up.
Many women seeking help for menopausal symptoms end up at the GP surgery and are given HRT.
HRT is brilliant in regulating your oestrogen levels. But it doesn’t address the root cause of ALL of the symptoms which you may be experiencing.
And what you have learnt already is this. As you start to get a little older and go through the menopause, many other hormones can start to become unbalanced.
To restore vitality, energy and balance into your life you need to do this: Take back control of ALL your hormones. Not just your sex hormones.
Would you like to say good bye to stubborn weight gain, fatigue, hot flushes and night sweats?
Let’s take a look at all of the pesky hormones which can be impacting how well or not you go through the menopause.
Hormones and Menopause. Which ones are linked to my symptoms?
We will start with your sex hormones as these are ones which you are probably most familiar with:
Oestrogen and progesterone
These two hormones need to be carefully balanced. When there is too little of these two hormones, you will experience hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep and joint pain. Your risk of osteoporosis will also increase.
In contrast too much can cause painful and heavy periods, mood swings, bloating, water retention and headaches.
But you now know that there are a number of other hormones which can become unbalanced and cause similar symptoms. Therefore these need to be fully understood and carefully considered as part of pathway back to a symptom free life
Insulin
This hormone is secreted from the pancreas and its role is to regulate your blood sugar levels. As you start to transition through the menopause, your risk of becoming insulin resistant increases. This may be because your thyroid hormones have become sluggish. It may be due to more stress in your life or it may be due to fluctuations with your sex hormones.
Hormones and Menopause. Would you like to say goodbye to stubborn weight gain for good?
And insulin resistance creates many symptoms which we normally associate with fluctuating oestrogen levels, such as brain fog, mood swings, anxiety, weight gain, joint pain and insomnia. So, it is important to establish the root cause and not just assume your symptoms are just to do with oestrogen.
All of this can be addressed through balancing your blood sugars, proper exercise, managing stress and sleep.
Cortisol
Cortisol is your stress hormone. It controls your sleep wake cycle and keeps you safe from danger. When you are stressed, cortisol is released from your adrenal glands and gives your body the fuel that it needs to deal with the threat you are facing. This is your fight and flight response. These days, our modern day lives are full of stress and cortisol is constantly being pumped out.
And as your fight and flight hormone, cortisol takes priority over everything. If left unchecked, it will shut down your digestive system, your immune function and slow down your thyroid function.
Common symptoms of cortisol imbalance include brain fog, memory loss, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, low mood, irritability and feeling emotional. Again these are all symptoms that we associate with fluctuating sex hormones.
You have already seen what supplements can help with stress management
But it is also important to learn how to remove stressors from your life by supporting your adrenals, learning how to switch off and sleep better.
Your thyroid
Your thyroid is responsible for your metabolism. During your menopause transition, it can become sluggish.
Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, brain fog and constipation
So the main message is this:
Hormones and Menopause symptoms are intertwined.
There are 4 main hormones which could be causing your symptoms and blocking your pathway back to full health. And the symptoms linked to each hormone can be very similar.
It may also be the case that you have imbalances going on in all of them. And because they all work together, when one is out of kilter, it will have a knock on effect on the others.
But of course, the testing that you have already done has taken out the guesswork and you will already know which areas to focus on to restore harmony.
Click through to my download to find out more about how to have a happy and healthy menopause
