Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Help With Menopause - What Are Bio-Identical Hormones?


During pre-menopause and menopause, many women suffer from an array of symptoms and need help with menopause symptoms. In this article I will discuss the cause of most menopausal symptoms as well as what options women have to alleviate them.

Most pre-menopause and menopause symptoms are due to a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and exposure to environmental estrogens. And also an imbalance in a woman's hormone levels. Two hormones in particular are out of balance at menopause: estrogen and progesterone.

When at menopause, the progesterone level drops to zero, a woman's menstruation stops and she starts suffering from painful breasts, weight gain, bloating, low bone density, trouble sleeping, anxiety and stress. At the same time, estrogen also declines and brings symptoms such as breast tenderness, anxiety, allergies, decreased sex drive, weight gain particularly around the belly, foggy thinking, insomnia, irritability, etc.

If the symptoms are not too severe, one type of help with menopause a woman can try is by changing her diet to include more fruits, vegetable, lean meats, whole grain and legumes. It is also important to include the healthy fats such as the Omega 3 found in fish such as salmon, herring, tuna.

Extending this natural treatment includes staying away from all types of stress as stress can worsen symptoms and cause further hormonal imbalance.

If the symptoms are more severe, a woman then can talk to her doctor about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Bio-identical hormones are natural, plant -based hormones that mimic the structure of the hormones made by the body. Because they are natural. They do not have any side effects.

This is important to know because many medical practitioners still want to use synthetic hormones which are obtained from pregnant mares and are foreign to the human body. Studies have found that the regular hormone replacement therapy increase s the risk of breast cancer and stroke.

In order to be put on Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) you will have to find a physician knowledgeable about hormones to help with menopause symptoms. The doctor in turn will prescribe a special formula that is unique to your hormonal levels after some tests.

It is important that you get adequate information about bio-identical hormones because a lot of doctors still prescribe synthetic hormones as they are more readily available and supported by the pharmaceutical industry. Because the natural hormones cannot be patented by the pharmaceutical companies, there is still some controversy about their efficacy. So you will be wise to find out more information so you can make an educated decision about the best options for you when it comes to help with menopause.

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