Banishing the 7 Dwarves of Menopause

Candace Burch Wednesday, September 16, 2015

September is Menopause Awareness Month, but if you listen to certain talking heads in the media you’d think we were in the midst of Menopause UNAWARENESS month!

Just the other day on a woman’s talk show, a so-called menopause expert was warning about the perils of using progesterone cream for symptom relief “because it can cause cancer.”

This is the type of misleading information that makes my blood boil because it confuses the facts and scares women away from the benefits of natural hormone balancing during menopause.

It's Important: Progesterone vs Progestin

Evidently, our erstwhile TV expert was herself confused about the crucial difference between progesterone – a naturally occurring hormone that actually protects women against cancers of the breast and uterus – and progestin, its synthetic evil twin, known to have serious side effects. The first landmark study (Women’s Health Initiative 2002) of the health impacts of HRT use among menopausal women found increased risks for breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke in those using HRT preparations that contained progestins (e.g. Prempro).

Bioidenticals...help keep cancers at bay, promote deeper sleep, and bring sweet relief from the hot flashes endured by a good 80% of menopausal women.

On the other hand, there is scant evidence that plant-based bioidentical hormones made to mimic the body’s own naturally occurring hormones carry similar risks. When used appropriately and in accordance with hormone test results, they can help keep cancers at bay, promote deeper sleep and bring sweet relief from the hot flashes endured by a good 80% of menopausal women.

Meet the Dwarves

More often than not, the extent to which we suffer from the itchy, bitchy, sweaty (let’s not leave out flabby and crabby) dwarves of menopause is the extent to which our hormones are out of sorts, out of sync and out of balance! In fact, undetected hormone imbalances are responsible for most of the symptoms that peri- and post-menopausal women experience.

If you feel like one (or more) of the “seven dwarves of menopause,” you might be walking around with a hormone imbalance:

ITCHY – your estrogen and/or testosterone levels are likely to be less than optimal
BITCHY – your cortisol and testosterone levels are out of control, and…
SWEATY – your estrogen is probably running low and your progesterone even lower causing hot flashes or night sweats or both!
SLEEPY – your master sleep hormone melatonin may be low and those night sweats can seriously interfere with a good night’s sleep
BLOATED – sounds like your estrogen is dominating, while out of balance cortisol stress hormones have you hardwired to overeat
FORGETFUL – (no way no how can you keep a number or name in your head for more than 2 seconds) your estrogen, testosterone and stress hormones may have gone AWOL…along with your memory
ALL DRIED UP – your supplies of estrogen and testosterone may be running thin, along with thinning drying skin inside and out

What to Do Next

How do you find out how seriously out-of-whack your hormones really are? By asking your provider to test your hormone levels for specific imbalances, or by ordering a home test kit online from ZRT Laboratory. With test results in hand you can then set about exploring your options for rebalancing your imbalances with a qualified provider.

Breathe. Relax. This is natural. Most women are well aware that – like hot flashes, turning 50 and discovering our first chin hair – menopause is normal, natural, inevitable. But when it starts to turn into your very own fractured fairytale and the wicked witch is staring back at you in the mirror – this is NOT normal – and it is most decidedly NOT the menopause you were meant to have.

Take steps to make yours a “good menopause.” How we eat, exercise, take stress in stride and expose ourselves (unwittingly or not) to toxins that wreak havoc on hormones can have a major affect on menopause symptoms. It means getting your hormones tested and, if needed, using only bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) that mimics mother nature with few side effects. It’s about finding that work/life balance, and making sacred the time we spend with ourselves and those who matter most to us in all the world.

This is the GOOD Menopause. A time of life when you can find yourself feeling stronger, back in the swing and better than ever!

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