How to Naturally Balance Hormones During Perimenopause & Menopause

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

SHOW NOTES & OUTLINE

1. What is menopause/perimenopause?

   • Ovarian failure – decrease in levels of progesterone and estrogens

   • A shift from ovarian sex hormone production to adrenal hormone production

2. Symptoms of Perimenopause/Menopause:

   • Perimenopause changes 

     1. Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability, low libido, abnormal bleeding, musculoskeletal symptoms, cognitive changes, headaches 

   • Early menopause changes 

     1. Vaginal atrophy, urinary incontinence, skin atrophy, hair thinning, facial hair 

   • Postmenopausal changes (PMP) 

     1. Osteoporosis, CVD, Alzheimer’s dementia, colon cancer, age-related macular degeneration 

1. Options for treatment

   1. Non-hormonal:

      • Herbal:

        • Progesteronic herbs: Wild yam, Chaste tree

        • Estrogenic herbs: Black cohosh, Maca, Hops

        • Phytoestrogens: Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil, Flax oil, Hemp seeds

      • Exercise

      • Weight Loss

      • SSRIs

      • Acupuncture

      • Stop smoking

   2. Food: Seed cycling diet, increase oils, 35-40g fiber/day, reduce alcohol, figure out food sensitivities

   3. Hormonal:

      • Bio-identical hormones:

        • Natural Progesterone (Oral – better for sleep, topical)

        • Natural estrogens – combinations of weak/normal estrogen – Estriol/Estradiol – oral and topical

        • Natural testosterone – topical and vaginal

        • Libido: Compounded Scream Cream

Benefits of Estrogen

• Heart: antioxidant effect, prevents vascular damage, decreases vascular constriction, decreases total and LDL cholesterol, increases HDL 

• Bone: prevents bone resorption by shortening lifespan of osteoclasts, maintains normal vitamin D levels 

• Colon: prevents neoplastic transformation in intestinal mucosa 

• Brain: affects the serotonergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic systems; improves short-term verbal memory, improves fine motor and spatial performance 

• Urogenital Tract: increases the connective tissue layer of the urethra, improves vaginal integrity 

• Skin: increases collagen production 

Benefits of Progesterone

• Decreases hot flashes 

• Decreases abnormal bleeding 

• Decreases insomnia and anxiety 

• Decreases coronary vasospasm 

• Protects the endometrium 

• Improves HDL cholesterol

1. Testing:

   1. Estradiol, Estriol, Estrone, SHBG, FSH, LH, Progesterone, Free and Total Testosterone

   2. Dutch Test