Why Balance Hormones if I'm in/done with Menopause?
They're (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) just not made as much, and then ratios begin to shift where normal values may seem high or low relative to the other hormones. For example, females are born with 6-7 million eggs, yet they only ovulate about 300,000-400,000 throughout their life and that cycle is a balancing act of at least 4-5 different hormones. However, hormones are also made from the adrenal glands, the two glands that sit on top of each kidney, for the rest of our life, and the liver.
Menopause is just another change, like puberty, where our body adapts a new protocol. Symptoms at any age occur when those adaptations are disrupted enough. Unfortunately, reproductive age women get placed on birth control, and women usually in their 40s and above get offered bio-identical.
One teensy problem... none of those therapies will address WHY there was enough dis-ease to cause a symptom, or create the motivation/education to instill lifestyle changes that not only benefit hormones, but overall health! And there's usually multiple origins.
Lab ranges for reproductive hormones are at a different set point post menopause, so there is an indication! Symptoms such as mood changes, energy, libido, weight, or conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease, all have a hormonal component. Thyroid determines metabolism, liver is one of your largest detoxification organs, proper gut health allows for proper nutrient absorption to make hormones, and adrenal health/stress management is incredibly important especially when our ovaries don't contribute to .
Let's start integrating these hormone nourishing tips!:
Stress management- Watch a funny youtube video, go to a comedy club, engage in social activity, yoga, walking, deep breathing - all of these work to decrease our stress response and allow our body to focus on making hormones ("rest and digest"), instead of cortisol, our stress hormone ("fight or flight") that shunts resources away from making our desired hormones.
Ground Flaxseed- A great source of fiber and wonderful for liver and gut health, these help bind up excess hormones, and can help regulate bowel movements, as it's just as important to excrete excess hormones once they're bound up (they need someplace to go!). They also promote healthy cholesterol.
Optimize vitamin D levels- Hormones are made from vitamin D, a vitamin we get from fish, for example, yet even living under the equator is not always enough. Optimal levels are around 50-70, yet sometimes more depending on the pathology.
Check out some more tips & tricks for happy hormones here!