Note: This blog is brimming with general natural menopause remedies and education, but please always discuss specific symptoms with your medical team.
Quick Read
1. You do NOT, and should not, just “power through” menopause. Tons of natural remedies can help you thrive through it.
2. Menopause happens in 3 stages (perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause), and there’s a 4th stage if you are medically put into menopause.
3. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) IS safe for breast cancer conquerors and is an option that you could consider with the expertise of your medical team.
The Breast Cancer Conqueror philosophy: You can absolutely feel your vibrant, balanced, and, dare we say, like a warrior self during menopause. With a clever blend of modern products and ancient wisdom, menopause management is possible.
However, if your provider blows off your miserable symptoms with a gaslighting vague comeback, “Oh, it’s just menopause, a normal part of life. Just power through since there is nothing you can do about it…” Run for the hills, read this blog, and find a new medical guide. There ARE A LOT of effective ways to naturally manage menopause so that you can THRIVE through it.
Menopause and aging are inevitable, but how you navigate them is within your control. Cranky days, being haunted by never-ending hot flashes, and dreading the wide-eyed at 3 am raging in frustration routine do NOT have to be things you just “deal with.” Oh, no, you are a wellness warrior and can fight against the menopause machine!
With the right strategies, you can navigate these transitions and thrive. Keep reading to learn how, and for a personalized approach, consider working with a BCC coach [1] who can tailor a plan to your unique needs.
The Stages Of Menopause
Before we go further, it’s important to know menopause can be part of many chapters of your life. It’s not just one phase but a series of changes lasting up to 14 years, but forever changing your body.
- Early Menopause or Surgical Menopause: This can result from hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) or oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries). Doing so, for whatever reason, can cause a sudden drop in hormone levels, triggering menopause immediately regardless of age.
- Perimenopause: The “before” stage lasts 3-5 years and can begin in your 30s but often starts in early 40s. Symptoms include irregular periods, fatigue, irritability, hot flashes, headaches, insomnia, and vaginal dryness. Pregnancy is still possible, so make sure to be smart about prevention.
- Menopause: Usually occurring in your late 40s to early 50s, menopause lasts 1-3 years and marks the end of menstruation and a drastic drop in hormones—estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and even melatonin. Estrogen drops off like a sharp cliff and is the instigator of many of your menopause symptoms.
- Postmenopause: Begins 12 months after your last period. Hormones stabilize at low levels, increasing risks for certain illnesses like osteoporosis and heart disease. For these reasons, and countless others such as mood and energy, many women intervene with hormone therapy such as bioidentical hormones (NOT the same as HRT), which will be discussed later in this blog post.
Why all the exclamation around estrogen?!
About six months before you hit menopause, your estrogen levels begin to drop, not just drop, but completely plummet. For example, before menopause, many women’s estrogen levels are up to 400 pg/ml, and menopause sends them crashing down to 10 pg/ml. No wonder your body and mind are freaking out!
And just like menopause has many stages that often get lumped into one word, there are several types of estrogen.
Here are the three types your body makes:
- Estrone (E1): Made in your ovaries and is the only estrogen hormone you produce after menopause, just in reduced amounts.
- Estradiol (E2): Also made in your ovaries, but only during your reproductive years. It is the most potent form of estrogen.
- Estriol (E3): This is the primary form of estrogen during pregnancy, and the placenta produces it. This is the more “protective” of all the estrogens.
There are several other types of estrogen made by everyday toxins that wreak havoc on your health. Here are a few examples:
- Estrogen-like pharmaceuticals. HRT Hormone Replacement Therapy (please read more here [2]) and oral contraceptives are a few examples.
- Xenoestrogens. Pesticides, plastics, herbicides, refrigerants, etc. Please learn more via this blog post [3].
- Metalloestrogens. These are a class of xenoestrogens, which are inorganic metals that can bind to estrogen receptors and mimic the effects of estrogen. Aluminum, cadmium, and mercury are a few examples, and you can learn more about them in this blog post. [4]
- Animal hormones. Non-organic factory-farmed meat and milk products are pumped with artificial hormones that can trick your body into thinking it is estrogen and cause countless problems.
This dramatic drop in estrogen is linked to several other common dis-eases that are common in older women if they are not intentional about managing their health and hormones.
Heart Disease
It is the number one cause of death among women, and a decline in estrogen after menopause may be a factor in the increase in heart disease among postmenopausal women. This is because estrogen positively affects the inner layer of the artery wall, helping regulate blood flow. Learn more via this 2023 study. [5]
Prevention: Balancing hormones [6], managing blood sugar [7], sleeping well [8], and generally taking good care of your body, mind, and soul by following the 7 Essentials System®. [9]
Bone/Skeletal
“Estrogens (estradiol, estriol, and estrone) are important hormones that directly and indirectly regulate the metabolism and function of bone and skeletal muscle via estrogen receptors.
[10] Menopause causes a dramatic reduction in the concentration of estrogen in the body. This contributes to a decline in bone and skeletal muscle function, thereby resulting in osteoporosis and sarcopenia.” (Study [11])
Prevention: In short, you must be extra intentional about keeping your bones strong and functional. Daily capsules of Vitamin D+K [10] are critical. So is lifting weights, balance training (such as yoga), eating green veggies (and Brocco Power! [12]), and getting the right calcium. [13]
Urinary
Low levels of estrogen can cause the urethra lining to thin, which can increase the risk of urinary tract infections, bladder leakage (incontinence), and other urogynecology problems…and is just bothersome!
Prevention: Keep a healthy weight, limit bladder irritants like caffeine and alcohol, increase fiber, strength train your bladder, and stay hydrated (flushes about bacteria).
Natural Menopause Remedies For Wellness Warriors!
Turn your menopause years into a time of rediscovering, curiosity, and putting your needs first. When the symptoms arise, use the tricks below to shut them down.
Hot Flashes
The heatwaves come at the most inconvenient times—during a big meeting, on an airplane, and in that beautiful silk dress you just bought. They impact 8 out of 10 women—but you can cool them down with these hot takes.
- Dress to impress (yourself). Dress in layers, wear breathable cotton and keep a handheld fan in your purse.
- Avoid normal heaters. Also, avoid spicy foods, processed foods, and caffeine, which can change body temperatures at any age.
- Stay chill. Sip cold drinks to hydrate and steady your body temperature.
- Try herbs. Black cohosh, red clover, ginseng, elderberry, and evening primrose oil may help regulate body temperature.
- Mind-Body Techniques. Deep breathing, yoga, and meditation (check out our tips [14]) can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.
- Seed cycle. Gently balance hormones with seed cycling. [15]
Vaginal Dryness
Leave the dry desert and flourish again with these personal tips.
- Take away the toxins. Many soaps, pads, bubble baths, and underwear can contain irritants that can mess with the balance of the natural flora. All of this, on top of a hormone drop, can result in all sorts of issues, such as pain (vulvodynia), infections, odors, itching, trouble peeing, and so forth. To discover nontoxic products to use and why, please read this blog post. [16]
- Use a natural vaginal moisturizer for short-term solutions. Skip all products at the store as they are bubbling in chemicals, but try a tiny bit of ghee and organic
[17] coconut oil to soothe vaginal tissues. - Try DHEA. Talk to your medical team about taking DHEA to stop the dryness and increase libido. You can buy it directly from my Designs For Health Store. [18]
- Take Omega-3s and flaxseed oil. Both can help maintain healthy mucous membranes.
- Use Hygeena suppositories. Learn all about this amazing product via our podcast episode with Dr. Sellman. [19]
Insomnia
Who needs Netflix when your menopausal brain provides a late-night horror/drama marathon starring you, your hormones, and an endless loop of “what ifs”? Let’s turn that OFF with these dreamy hacks.
- High-dose melatonin: It will put you and the cancer cells to sleep. Learn all about it via this blog post [20], and order Melatonin Max here [17].
- Sleep Hygiene: Create a dark, cool sleeping environment, and avoid screens before bed. For more calming sleep tips, please read this blog post. [8]
Plant Based Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Taking hormones is a personal choice between you and your doctor, but this section provides a summary of things to know. For a more extensive report, please read this blog post [2] on bioidentical hormones and breast cancer and listen to Dr. V’s Real Talk on Hormones. [21]
BHRT are topical creams and homeopathic remedies that gently stimulate and replicate your body’s unique hormonal balance. They can provide relief, disease prevention, and hormone balance with no side effects. We suggest first using topical and vaginal products versus injecting hormone pellets. Unlike their dangerous and more famous counterparts, Pharmaceutical Hormone Replacement (HRT), the Bioidentical version is safe for long-term use, can decrease the risk of breast cancer, offers adjustable doses, and replicates your body’s natural hormones.
[2]
Test, Test, And Test Again!
Hormone and genetic testing remove the guesswork and help you and your team curate a custom plan that works.
- Saliva Hormone Testing: Tracks fluctuations throughout the day. You can buy it from ZRT Labs using this link. [22]Be sure to specify that you want the estrogen quotient ratio and the E1 and E3 (estrone and estriol) added to the panel.
- DUTCH Test: A top-of-the-line, comprehensive urine test for hormone levels and metabolism. Dutch stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones, and you can buy it here. [23]
Now, remind yourself about how much you have already conquered in your life. Take a minute and list out specific things. Celebrate yourself and know that menopause is just another one on the list. You got this!