Menopause affects every woman, and-though it cannot be prevented or avoided-can be treated so that the woman going through it, can minimize the negative side effects and symptoms associated with the condition.

Below, we discuss what menopause is, how it affects the body, and common menopausal symptoms as well as diet/lifestyle recommendations and vitamin and herb supplements that can help minimize the negative effects most commonly attributed to menopause.

What is Menopause?

Menopause occurs most predominantly to woman in their late 40s to early 50s, and is biological ending of a woman's menstrual periods which renders her infertile.

During this time in a woman's life, she will experience a number of mild to strong hormonal changes as her body prepares to stop the ability to reproduce. There are a number of phases involved in menopause with varying hormonal side effects and symptoms. Typically, a woman who has not had her menstruation in one year is considered post menopausal.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of menopause-though every woman is different- include varying degrees of the following:

Hot flashes

Chills

Vaginal dryness

Emotional mood swings

Decreased sex drive

Insomnia

General feelings of bodily malaise

Depression/ anxiety

Diet Recommendations

As menopause can be a time of great hormonal change, many physical, emotional, and psychological discomforts can occur and persist.

The following dietary recommendations have been proven to be helpful to women experiencing some or all of the common symptoms and conditions associated with menopause:

Introduction of soy in diet. By incorporating approximately 60 grams of soy into a woman's diet, studies have shown a marked decrease in hot flashes and vaginal discomfort. Moreover, soy product has been linked to improved mood and mental function in women suffering from menopause effects.

Introduction of flaxseed in diet. By incorporating flaxseed into a woman's diet, studies have shown that there has been an overall marked decrease in general negative effects associated with menopause.

Lifestyle Recommendations

Along with incorporating dietary recommendations into your diet if you are experiencing side effects commonly associated with menopause, changing or modifying lifestyle factors should also be considered. The following lifestyle recommendations have been shown to help with side effects most predominantly in menopausal women:

Quit smoking
Though quitting smoking helps all aspects of health in both men and women, it also has been proven to help combat hot flashes and temperature changes in the body.

Begin a regular exercise routine
Studies have shown a marked decrease in hot flashes and other common menopausal symptoms when an exercise program of 3-4 sessions per week of at least 30 minutes is introduced into the lifestyle of a peri or post menopausal woman.

Vitamin Supplements

Many menopausal women also find supplementation of certain vitamins helpful in reducing the effects of menopause.

Though each woman is different, and not every woman is positively affected by the following vitamins, here are the most widely used vitamin supplements with the best conclusive results:

Progesterone
Progesterone creams and treatments show marked improvement in women supplementing with it in the areas of depression, anxiety, hot flashes, and sexual side effects. As it is a hormone that a menopausal woman produces less of, adding it back in superficially helps greatly with the hormonal effects incurred.

DHEA
As women go through menopause, their bodies greatly reduce the amount of DHEA produced in their bodies. DHEA is one of the key elements in our bodies that keep us functioning properly. This is why many menopausal women take it to stave off the accelerated aging effects of its decrease in their systems.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E has long been associated with treating some of the negative effects of menopause. The effectiveness of Vitamin E in menopausal women does vary, and this is why it is recommended to take at least 800IU of Vitamin E per day.

Vitamin C
Though helpful when supplemented to practically any diet, Vitamin C can be especially helpful to menopausal women, when taken in conjunction with Hesperidin. It's main effect is a great reduction in hot flashes.

Boron
Boron is another vitamin supplement that has been shown to help some women during menopause reduce their symptoms of hot flashes and temperature issues, as it affects estrogen metabolism.

Herb Supplements

Herb supplements have also been proven to show great reduction in negative menopausal symptoms. We list the most common and effective in treating negative side effects of menopause in aging women below.

Black Cohosh
Black Cohosh is an herbal supplement taken predominantly by menopausal women looking to reduce hot flashes. It is one of the most widely used for its positive results in large studies of menopausal women.

St John's Wort
Known for its herbal effectiveness in treating or at least limiting the effects of depression, ST John's Wort is used commonly in menopausal women. It has been shown to cut down on the depression caused by the biological ups and downs of hormonal change in menopausal women.

Kava
Though studies are somewhat inconclusive, there has been some positive feedback on Kava's effects on reducing anxiety commonly associated with menopause.

Sage
The herb, Sage, has shown in study to drastically reduce the production of perspiration in menopausal women experiencing hot flashes and temperature change in their bodies.

Ginseng
Another herb general with its uses, but certainly conclusively helpful to menopausal women is Ginseng. Ginseng has been shown to-in some cases-reduce the amount of mental fogginess, anxiety, and depression associated with the hormonal changes in menopause.

Learn More

Osteoporosis

High Blood Pressure

Yoga

Enlarged Prostate / Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Sports Performance

How to Achieve Healthier Aging

This article is exclusive to and copyright ©   The Vitamin Creek LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of The Vitamin Creek is prohibited.