Biomimetic Hormones

Sleep problems during menopause

If pain and hot flashes are causing you sleep problems in menopause, then you need to tell your doctor about these symptoms. A recent study called the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Sleep Study found that “menopause symptoms and pain both act together and must be taken into account.” In other words, sleep problems experienced by menopausal women can be caused by both pain and hot flashes and both symptoms should be treated.

Women in menopause can experience the problem of waking up early in the morning, say 2:00 or 3:00 and then not being able to get back to sleep or, they experience the problem of not being able to fall asleep. It was previously thought that hot flashes had been the source of the problem. 314 women of menopausal age were involved as subjects during the research, who were instructed to keep sleep diaries and wear watches which detected night time movement. The study revealedthat not only did hot flashes cause the problems of wakefulness, but pain was also contributing to the problem. The symptoms of pain was also causing lack of quality sleep and wakefulness.

The research on pain and hot flashes contributing to poor quality sleep patterns in menopausal women was presented to the North American Menopause Society’s annual meeting in Chicago. The study found that both of these symptoms have to be treated in order for menopausal women to get a good night of quality sleep.

Biomimetic hormones including Bi-est (a combination of natural bio-identical estrogen and natural bio-identical estriol along with bio-identical progesterone can be used to treat the hot flashes. Another hormone which might need to be included in the bioidentical hormone replacement (BHRT) program may include DHEA. A test for DHEA levels should also be included in a hormone test to check levels available in the body. Waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. may be caused by high cortisol Excess cortisol is caused by chronic stress. Stress will cause cortisol levels to shoot up. DHEA is the natural antidote to the negative effects of excess cortisol.

Do tell your doctor if you are experiencing pain. To ensure a good night’s sleep, the symptoms of pain need to be treated as well. Pain in menopausal women can be caused by many things including arthritis and fibromyalgia. Treatments vary for these problems so, in speaking with you doctor, you can find a solution to enable you to sleep better in the night by dealing with the cause of pain.

Sleep problems need to be treated as well. Going to bed and waking up at the same time day and sleeping in a dark room will help. Don’t exercise and rev up your body before you go to sleep. Limit your caffeine consumption during the day. Another hormone that decreases by the time women reach menopause is melatonin. Melatonin can be purchased over the counter and can be used to help with sleep problems. Begin with a 3 mg melatonin supplement and if that is not enough, try increasing the doseage to 6 mg or 10 mg of melatonin a night.

There are other natural supplements such as vitamin C and B6, Relora, Phosphatidylserine, holy basil , rhodiola and ashwagandha which will help manage stress, night time worrying and promote a restful sleep.  To find out how much of these natural supplements you should take on a daily basis, speak with a naturopath or your doctor. Sleep problems in menopause can be solved. Discuss the solutions with your doctor.

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Estrogen, Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer – what is the relationship between these three things?  Recent studies have revealed that there is a relationship between estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer.  If you suffer from menopause symptoms, you are probably using hormone replacement therapy.  Let’s hope that you are using natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy if you are on HRT.  Just what is it exactly – the relationship between estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer and what should you be doing in order to avoid breast cancer?

Research has found that alcohol consumption is indeed a contributing factor to breast cancer.  It is also known that red wine has many benefits to your health.  This can be confusing and you may wonder if you can still drink red wine, especially if you are suffering from hot flashes.

Red wine contains resveratol.  Red wine is healthier because white wine and hard liquor do not contain this ingredient.  Resveratrol is good for you because it prevents diseases, it is a powerful antioxidant,  it is involved in the aging process of our genes.  It can be found in red wine from France and can also be taken as a supplement.  However, the key to drinking wine is to limit your intake, especially if you are a woman.

Alcohol stays in a woman’s body longer because of our fat deposits and will cause an increase in estrogen levels.  If you have read about estrogen dominance, you will have noted that estrogen dominance will cause among other symptoms, hot flashes and breast cancer.  Alcohol has a direct influence on estradiol levels in the body.  When you consume alcohol, estrogen levels increase and when you stop drinking, the levels of estrogen in the body decrease.  When these levels of estrogen falls, you will experience hot flashes.  Estrogen use and breast cancer are linked in women who drink.   It is recommended that a woman reduce her intake of alcohol to less than one drink per day.  That means, if you are going to drink alcohol, you should drink only red wine and only drink a couple of glasses of week.  If you choose to eliminate all alcohol from your life, then you should use resveratrol supplements.

Breast cancer is a cancer that is “fed” by estrogen.  One should never take estrogen alone. If you are on natural bioidentical hormones, you should always be taking natural progesterone along with the estrogen.  Natural progesterone counteracts the negative effects of estrogen and estrogen dominance.  We need estrogen, but the amount of estrogen in our bodies must be tested and controlled.  Natural progesterone counteracts the negative effects of estrogen.

There are three hormones which make up estrogen, those being estriol, estradiol and estrone.  Estriol is the weakest estrogen and has protective effects.  Estriol helps maintain healthy vaginal mucosa and prevents urinary tract infections when used as a vaginal cream.  It also helps protect against breast cancer.

Natural bioidentical progesterone, not to be confused with synthetic progestins, also protects against breast cancer.  In a 1981 study from John Hopkins, breast cancer was found to be 5.4 times greater in women with low progesterone.

Nutritional supplements you should be taking to protect your breasts from breast cancer include:

Folic acid
Green tea extract
Vitamin D – at least 1000 units a day
Selenium
Lycopene – 15 mg a day
Indol-3 carbinol
Vitamin E gamma-tocopherol
Melatonin

Other things you can do to avoid breast cancer include eating a diet low in fat, avoiding red meat, eating lots of cruciferous vegetables which are high in antioxidants and cancer fighting agents, exercising regularly, ensuring you get enough sleep and avoiding stress.

What’s the message here?  Breast cancer can be avoided if you keep your progesterone levels at a normal rate.  Also, check your estrogen levels and avoid estrogen dominance.  But no matter what, alcohol will effect you negatively if you drink too much of it.  It will cause hot flashes and manipulate your estrogen levels and lead to breast cancer.  Supplement your declining hormones with natural bioidentical hormones, have regular hormone testing and avoid drinking too much alcohol and, if you must, red wine is the only alcohol you should drink, but in moderation.

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