Practical Practitioner

So you've hit menopause - now what?

Menopause is a natural part of a woman's life. By definition, it is the stopping of periods or menses. The average age is 52 however menopause can occur in 30 to 60 year olds. This time of life is usually different for every woman but every woman does stop having periods. Fluctuating hormones can lead to emotional highs and lows, illness and weight gain.

Peri-menopause is the time prior to menopause- usually the two to five years before but sometimes women have symptoms 10 to 15 years before stopping their periods.

Menopause symptoms can range from mild hot spells at night to constant dripping sweats all day and night. Some women spot for a few months others bleed heavily for years. These symptoms are caused by hormonal imbalances and changes not necessarily estrogen loss. They are also related to diet, lifestyle and family history. Most women today are in overdrive, juggling heavy work schedules, taking care of family members, including aging parents, leaving little time for themselves. This hormone imbalance can lead to sickness and emotional distress. Women need more time to relax and take care of their own needs.

Most women's symptoms last two to five years. Modifying diet, regular exercise and a good night's sleep helps to reduce symptoms. A good multivitamin, herbs and oils can help your hormones work better. Managing family relationships in a positive manner can help to reduce stress.

The medical establishment in the past has encouraged women to use synthetic hormone replacement to "keep women young" and protect them from diseases of aging. The latest research, "Women's Health Initiative" showed that horse estrogen derived from pregnant mares' urine may be detrimental. Prempro (synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestin) was pulled from the study altogether due to unfavorable effects. Many healthcare providers discontinued women's hormone therapy abruptly due to the negative results from this study. Women are now asking what should they do? Suzanne Somers has brought attention to bio-identical hormone therapy. In her book, The Sexy Years, she describes how bioidentical hormones relieved her menopausal symptoms. She conveys that she intends to stay on them for the rest of her life.

What are bioidentical hormones? Bioidentical hormones are manufactured to have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your own body. By contrast, synthetic hormones are intentionally different. Drug companies can't patent a bioidentical structure, so they invent synthetic hormones that are patentable (Premarin, Prempro and Provera being the most widely used examples).

Though bioidentical hormones have been around for years, many practitioners are unfamiliar with them. There are several branded versions now available for use in the kind of hormone replacement therapy typical of synthetic hormones. This is generally a one-size-fits-all dosage regime.

There is documented success with an individualized approach to bioidentical (natural) hormone replacement therapy. Each woman is different and unique and all don't need the same exact dose. All hormones are interrelated and affect each other. As women go through perimenopause many become insulin resistant from hormone imbalance. This leads to weight gain, metabolic syndrome and may lead to diabetes. Serum and saliva hormone panels help providers to prescribe a precise dosage of bioidentical estrogens, testosterone, progesterone or DHEA. (Next Week: Are bioidentical hormones better than synthetic hormones?)

This article was originally published June 27, 2005 in The St. Tammany News.

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Practical Practitioner

So you've hit menopause - now what?

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