Menopause is a term defining the number of processes that mark the end of menstruation. It might last anywhere from a couple of years to over a decade. The biggest change and all the menopausal symptoms happen because of a gradual decrease of hormone concentrations, mainly of estrogen.
Since menopausal symptoms reflect a big change happening in the organism, they can be uncomfortable and even painful. Many natural compounds in the form of supplements, teas, and foods can help level out the hormone concentrations and keep symptoms under control.
Keep reading and find out what are the first signals and stages of menopause, and which supplements you can take to make the process easier and more tolerable on your body.
What are the first signs of menopause?
Menopause starts occurring as the natural levels of the hormone estrogen, produced by the ovaries, start declining. This also means that the ovaries won't release eggs anymore, and the fertile period of life will slowly come to an end.
The first symptoms of menopause can occur 4-7 years before the menopause itself begins. The symptoms might be:
- Unregular menstrual cycles,
- Hot flashes,
- Insomnia.
This will only mark the beginning of the menopausal period that every menstruating person will go through in their life. The first signals of menopause will appear between the ages of 45 and 55 (1).
Stages of menopause
Menopause is overall a very lengthy process that can be divided into multiple stages. Let’s review what are the three stages of menopause:
- Perimenopause – can start even 8 years before the end of your menstruating period,
- Menopause – you officially enter menopause when you haven’t been menstruating for at least a year,
- Post menopause – this is the phase of your life that happens after you have stopped menstruating.
The levels of estrogen in the postmenopausal period are so low that you may be at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, your pelvic floor structures might weaken, and you can be at an increased risk of developing cardiac diseases.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Every menstruating person can have different menopausal symptoms, and not everyone will experience all of them. However, all of the reported symptoms connected to menopause can be summarized into the following list:
- Changes and irregularities in the menstrual cycle,
- Hot flashes,
- Night sweats,
- Lower libido,
- Mood swings,
- Changes in skin conditions,
- Heart palpitations,
- Vaginal dryness,
- Headaches,
- Hair loss,
- Brain fog and memory loss,
- Anxiety
- Confidence loss.
Does menopause ever end?
Once menopause has occurred and you haven’t menstruated for at least 12 months, there is no going back to active menstruation. Symptoms will fade and your body will get used to the new hormone levels, so the "change" phase of menopause will eventually end.
It is important to understand the importance of menopause in our society. Since the population is growing, and the average life span is increasing, the number of menopausal women is growing. In 2021, the percentage of women aged 50 and older among all women on the planet was 26%, which increased from 22%, recorded in 2011. (WHO)
The more we learn about the experiences and symptoms of menopause, the better we will learn to handle it more safely and without the risk of developing post-menopausal health issues. Currently, it is almost impossible to predict when someone will go through menopause, but we know it can depend on body composition, overall health status, as well as sociological factors like family and culture.
Treating symptoms of menopause
The often uncomfortable symptoms of menopause can be aided with various foods, plant preparations like teas and extracts, dietary supplements, and/or hormone replacement therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy
As menopause occurs due to a natural decrease in estrogen levels, hormone replacement therapy during that period focuses on replacing estrogen through medication. It often helps with the most prominent symptoms like hot flashes and loss of bone density, but there are some drawbacks to this approach.
Estrogen can be replenished in many ways, which can be categorized into two types:
- Systemic therapy - high concentration of estrogen given through pills, patches, gels, sprays, and creams,
- Low-dose vaginal therapy - lower doses of estrogen found in similar forms like pills and creams and can effectively treat only vaginal symptoms of menopause.
However, as with any unnatural intake of hormones, one has to be careful with balancing the doses, body weight, stage of menopause, etc. The first problem that can arise is the loss of balance between estrogen and progesterone. If you only take estrogen and progesterone levels remain low, estrogen could overstimulate the growth of our uterine tissue and cause cancer. That's why most treatments contain both estrogen and some form of progesterone at the same time.
Further on, there is an increased risk of developing:
- breast cancer,
- blood clots,
- cardiovascular diseases.
That's why it's really important to take this type of therapy only after consulting your doctor and thoroughly considering your age, family health history and symptoms. Those who entered perimenopause rather early, before they turned 45, might especially benefit from estrogen replacement therapy.
Natural supplements for menopause
The so-called "natural" aids for menopause can be foods, vitamins, or supplements that can help alleviate some of the uncomfortable symptoms of the menopausal transition.
Foods that help with menopause naturally
Careful food choices and a balanced diet can help you keep your symptoms under control, or at least help temporarily. Most of the foods here will be ones connected to keeping your:
- bones strong,
- gut healthy,
- mood up.
Therefore, the foods you can add to your diet are:
- Fish - several scientific studies found that women who ate two portions of fish every week (especially tuna and salmon) experienced significantly fewer hot flashes than the ones who didn't eat any fish. It might be because of high concentrations of vitamin B6 and omega-3 fatty acids (2),
- Milk and fermented dietary products - yogurt, kefir, or acidophil milk have plenty of gut-healthy bacteria that will keep your digestion under control and replenish your calcium intake at the same time,
- Soy - some plants like soy contain a lot of phytoestrogens, which are plant versions of the hormone estrogen. A higher intake of soy was found to lower the number of hot flashes experienced by menopausal women (3, 4). One of the other popular foods that contain phytoestrogen is yams.
Try drinking a lot of water instead of sugary drinks, and eat plenty of green vegetables and grains during this period. Try to keep your caloric intake under control too. These pointers might help you keep your weight gain under control and reduce the risks of developing type II diabetes or a heart condition.
