May

The seasons are changing and getting colder, but, unfortunately, some of us women are getting warmer. I have recently started working in a new office, surrounded by many women. Our office is generally kept freezing cold. Perhaps our boss keeps it that way, in some insane attempt to increase productivity. Regardless of the room temperature, some women in my office occasionally are red faced and sweating. The culprit? Menopause. You would think that when that glorious time comes when we are free of our monthly visit, our body would be relieved, rejoicing even! Instead many of our bodies, without our knowledge, slip into a hormone withdraw.

Menopause is really just referring to the time in our lives when we stop menstruating. Our ovaries become dormant and our estrogen levels drop dramatically. The symptoms of menopause can last up to five years, with the most intense symptoms occurring in the first two. The symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, increased cholesterol, decreased bone density, decreased sex drive, irritability and a litany of other annoying problems that were all created when our hormone levels take a nose dive.

Most of the problems associated with menopause can be understood when estrogen, and what it does is understood. The common phrase “estrogen” almost makes it sound like it’s one thing. The correct way to think of it is as “estrogens.” Estrogen is the common person’s name for really, a group of sex hormones that are higher in women than they are in men. Estrogens get kicked in to high gear in women around our preteen ages and help form us in to beautiful young women. It places fat right where we need it and widens our hips so we can have kids. This group of hormones regulates our menstrual cycle and even gives us the desire to have sex. Estrogens also play a role in decreasing cholesterol, decreasing facial hair and increasing bone density.  So what’s the story with the hot flashes? Estrogens also affect a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This is a part of the brain where our temperature is regulated. If you take that estrogen away, your brain gets confused, and you get hot. It’s easy to see why we get the problems that we do when these estrogens go away, estrogens play a lot of important roles in our life.

So why suffer? Why don’t we just take a pill to replace these hormones and move on with life? Well, in extreme cases that exactly what we do. The pills are often referred to as HRT (hormone replacement therapy). HRT was widely used until the Women’s Health Initiative found some red flags associated with the long term use of these drugs. HRT does have some serious health risks and are now used with much more caution and only when the benefits outweigh the risks.  HRT is always monitored closely by a doctor and ideally only used for less than five years. It is not the easy way out, and when it is used it must be used with extreme caution.

So beyond taking a manufactured synthetic form of these hormones in order to manipulate Mother Nature…what can we do? Well, the first thing to change should be your diet. Like many unfortunate situations life throws at us, we can fight back with good food. Many foods contain something called phytoestrogens. A diet high in soy products, legumes and nuts can help ease you into this new phase of your life because they have a version of estrogen in them. Changing your diet to be a bit healthier can also help combat the possible rise in cholesterol that is associated with menopause.

One of the scariest side effects of menopause is the possibility of a decrease in bone density. Estrogens helped keep calcium in your bones. You will now need to make sure you are getting enough calcium and vitamin D to try to make up for this difference.

My best advice for the hot flashes is to dress in layers. Make your outfits adjustable to a range of temperatures. This is a great time of year to pick up a new sweater with ruffles on it, or a scarf to complement your ensemble. If you find yourself in the middle of your own personal summer, take some of the layers off, take a sip of lemonade and pretend its August again here in Western New York!