Post by Admin on Jan 14, 2015 20:16:13 GMT -5
FEMALE HORMONE STABILITY ....
(Helpful Advice from the book ... FITNESS AT 40,50,60 and BEYOND)
In the years leading up to menopause, the female body’s normal levels of estrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate in an irregular fashion.
Some medical professionals use the analogy of an engine beginning to “sputter” in the last few minutes before it shuts down.
Because of these hormonal changes, most women experience a number of symptoms during this time.
Most women experience these symptoms of perimenopause and premenopause between the ages of 43 -55.
The most commonly reported symptoms include the following…
Mood changes
Irritability, impatience, or increased risks of depression are sometimes experienced during this time. A woman may realize she is not responding normally to minor life stresses, yet still struggle with her feelings and reactions.
Hot flashes and sleep problems
Approximately 70 percent of women experience hot flashes. This classic symptom usually occurs during late perimenopause. Women report a wide range of variation in the duration, frequency, and intensity of these symptoms.
“Night sweats” can introduce sleep problems in women who have never had problems sleeping thru the night before.
Even individuals who don’t suffer from serious hot flashes may still notice a change in their sleeping patterns.
Difficulty getting to sleep, as well as waking much earlier than desired is a frequent problem for women during this time.
Decreasing fertility
As menopause itself is essentially the transition point where a woman is no longer fertile and capable of reproductions, it stands to reason the ability to conceive decreases during this time.
As long as a woman is having periods, pregnancy remains a possibility. However, with ovulation becoming more erratic as the body begins to “gear down” during this time, the ability to conceive likewise diminishes.
Menstrual irregularity
Ovulation becomes erratic during this time.
The time intervals between periods can be longer, shorter, or skipped altogether.
Vaginal and bladder problems
As estrogen levels decline, the vaginal tissues lose both lubrication ability and elasticity.
Loss of muscle tissue tone may also introduce problems with frequent urination and/or urinary incontinence.
Changes in sexual function
During perimenopause, sexual arousal may decline.
Medical professionals debate the true cause of lessened interest in sexual activity in the aging female.
Some researchers believe hormonal change is the underlying culprit.
Other researchers contend that testosterone more so than estrogen is the “aggressive” hormone that ignites desire.
These researchers theorize self-perception, attitude, and other mental aspects have more to do with libido changes than do estrogen declines.
This latter group of researchers point to studies that reveal women with active and healthy sex lives prior to the perimenopausal years, usually continue to be sexually active even after menopause.
Loss of bone
Although both men and women suffer from bone loss with age, women are more prone to osteoporosis.
The rate of bone loss is proportional to the decline of estrogen in women. It is for this reason you will see so many advertisements for Calcium and Vitamin D aimed at women.
Changing cholesterol levels
Although not commonly known, the decline of estrogen can also change the relative ratios of blood cholesterol levels.
With lower estrogen, it is common to see an increase in the un-healthy low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
Likewise, the healthy high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels often decrease.
This change helps to explain why heart attack becomes more common in older women.
When younger, men tend to demonstrate a statistically higher rate of heart disease and strokes than women of the same age.
After menopause, there is less discrimination in the frequency of cardiovascular illness between older men and women.
As is the case with males, some females look to hormone replacement therapy in later life.
Although a full discussion of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
is worthy of its own book, there are a few things worth mentioning here.
In the past, HRT received a bad reputation for increasing the incidence of certain health issues. During this time, hormones were often introduced into the body at excessive levels, or in improper ratios to other compounds like aromatizing agents.
However, the sophistication of professionally monitored HRT treatment has improved in recent years.
The goal of responsible HRT is simply to restore hormone balances to normal healthy values that alleviate some of the ill effects of old age.
As with any form of medical treatment, some risks still exist.
The incidence of risk is usually connected to heredity and personal health history.
The decision to pursue HRT treatment is a personal choice.
In any event, it is advisable to research the benefits -VS-risks of this medical treatment before considering it for your own situation.
In the previous section, I recounted a personal story of how supplementation and some lifestyle changes helped me as a male offset the natural decline of testosterone.
A similar potential remedy exists for many women.
The following list of supplements has proven popular in recent years.
Many women claim products containing these compounds help alleviate many of the unpleasant symptoms described above – symptoms which are normally linked and attributed to the premenopausal years.
Diindolylmethane (DIM)
Vitamin E
Natural phytoestrogene & natural progesterone USP
DIM is the main ingredient found in most of the health food supplements now advertised to help support a healthy balance of hormones in women.
Research has shown that DIM seems to work as an “estrogen balancer”.
By balancing estrogen and minimizing the excess accumulation of estradiol, DIM is also believed to help offset symptoms such as easier weight gain, moodiness, and breast pain.
Natural phytoestrogene and natural progesterone USP are found in a number of special purpose lotions.
These formulations claim to help the body maintain a healthy estrogen/progesterone balance and ward off estrogen dominance.
As with many natural remedies, you will find an equal number of supporters and detractors to the benefits of the above supplements.
Thousands, if not millions, of women attest to the benefits of these products in helping improve their quality of life.
Likewise, many researchers in the medical arena will say insufficient evidence exists to confirm the benefits of these compounds.
This may be a case where the reader will need to reach their own conclusions based on personal experience.
(Helpful Advice from the book ... FITNESS AT 40,50,60 and BEYOND)
In the years leading up to menopause, the female body’s normal levels of estrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate in an irregular fashion.
Some medical professionals use the analogy of an engine beginning to “sputter” in the last few minutes before it shuts down.
Because of these hormonal changes, most women experience a number of symptoms during this time.
Most women experience these symptoms of perimenopause and premenopause between the ages of 43 -55.
The most commonly reported symptoms include the following…
Mood changes
Irritability, impatience, or increased risks of depression are sometimes experienced during this time. A woman may realize she is not responding normally to minor life stresses, yet still struggle with her feelings and reactions.
Hot flashes and sleep problems
Approximately 70 percent of women experience hot flashes. This classic symptom usually occurs during late perimenopause. Women report a wide range of variation in the duration, frequency, and intensity of these symptoms.
“Night sweats” can introduce sleep problems in women who have never had problems sleeping thru the night before.
Even individuals who don’t suffer from serious hot flashes may still notice a change in their sleeping patterns.
Difficulty getting to sleep, as well as waking much earlier than desired is a frequent problem for women during this time.
Decreasing fertility
As menopause itself is essentially the transition point where a woman is no longer fertile and capable of reproductions, it stands to reason the ability to conceive decreases during this time.
As long as a woman is having periods, pregnancy remains a possibility. However, with ovulation becoming more erratic as the body begins to “gear down” during this time, the ability to conceive likewise diminishes.
Menstrual irregularity
Ovulation becomes erratic during this time.
The time intervals between periods can be longer, shorter, or skipped altogether.
Vaginal and bladder problems
As estrogen levels decline, the vaginal tissues lose both lubrication ability and elasticity.
Loss of muscle tissue tone may also introduce problems with frequent urination and/or urinary incontinence.
Changes in sexual function
During perimenopause, sexual arousal may decline.
Medical professionals debate the true cause of lessened interest in sexual activity in the aging female.
Some researchers believe hormonal change is the underlying culprit.
Other researchers contend that testosterone more so than estrogen is the “aggressive” hormone that ignites desire.
These researchers theorize self-perception, attitude, and other mental aspects have more to do with libido changes than do estrogen declines.
This latter group of researchers point to studies that reveal women with active and healthy sex lives prior to the perimenopausal years, usually continue to be sexually active even after menopause.
Loss of bone
Although both men and women suffer from bone loss with age, women are more prone to osteoporosis.
The rate of bone loss is proportional to the decline of estrogen in women. It is for this reason you will see so many advertisements for Calcium and Vitamin D aimed at women.
Changing cholesterol levels
Although not commonly known, the decline of estrogen can also change the relative ratios of blood cholesterol levels.
With lower estrogen, it is common to see an increase in the un-healthy low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
Likewise, the healthy high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels often decrease.
This change helps to explain why heart attack becomes more common in older women.
When younger, men tend to demonstrate a statistically higher rate of heart disease and strokes than women of the same age.
After menopause, there is less discrimination in the frequency of cardiovascular illness between older men and women.
As is the case with males, some females look to hormone replacement therapy in later life.
Although a full discussion of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
is worthy of its own book, there are a few things worth mentioning here.
In the past, HRT received a bad reputation for increasing the incidence of certain health issues. During this time, hormones were often introduced into the body at excessive levels, or in improper ratios to other compounds like aromatizing agents.
However, the sophistication of professionally monitored HRT treatment has improved in recent years.
The goal of responsible HRT is simply to restore hormone balances to normal healthy values that alleviate some of the ill effects of old age.
As with any form of medical treatment, some risks still exist.
The incidence of risk is usually connected to heredity and personal health history.
The decision to pursue HRT treatment is a personal choice.
In any event, it is advisable to research the benefits -VS-risks of this medical treatment before considering it for your own situation.
In the previous section, I recounted a personal story of how supplementation and some lifestyle changes helped me as a male offset the natural decline of testosterone.
A similar potential remedy exists for many women.
The following list of supplements has proven popular in recent years.
Many women claim products containing these compounds help alleviate many of the unpleasant symptoms described above – symptoms which are normally linked and attributed to the premenopausal years.
Diindolylmethane (DIM)
Vitamin E
Natural phytoestrogene & natural progesterone USP
DIM is the main ingredient found in most of the health food supplements now advertised to help support a healthy balance of hormones in women.
Research has shown that DIM seems to work as an “estrogen balancer”.
By balancing estrogen and minimizing the excess accumulation of estradiol, DIM is also believed to help offset symptoms such as easier weight gain, moodiness, and breast pain.
Natural phytoestrogene and natural progesterone USP are found in a number of special purpose lotions.
These formulations claim to help the body maintain a healthy estrogen/progesterone balance and ward off estrogen dominance.
As with many natural remedies, you will find an equal number of supporters and detractors to the benefits of the above supplements.
Thousands, if not millions, of women attest to the benefits of these products in helping improve their quality of life.
Likewise, many researchers in the medical arena will say insufficient evidence exists to confirm the benefits of these compounds.
This may be a case where the reader will need to reach their own conclusions based on personal experience.