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 Menopause
can be a difficult transition in a woman’s life. Menopause
usually occurs between ages 48 and 52. The onset of hot flashes,
extreme mood swings, insomnia, hair loss, uncontrollable weight
gain, skin changes, vaginal dryness, decreased sex drive, the
fear of osteoporosis, breast cancer, and heart disease are all
a part of American women’s experience.Menopause is a normal transition experienced by women. Women are transitioning out of the reproductive phase of their lives into a very productive and meaningful stage of their life. It is a time when the fear of pregnancy no longer has to limit their sex life. Children are independent, and a woman can pursue interest outside the home without the burden of overwhelming family obligations. Also, women have the opportunity to focus on their personal development instead of child development. However, for many women this transition is filled with physical and emotional problems. Why is this normal transition so difficult for so many women? Menopause is a transitional stage in a woman’s life. Hormone production can be irregular and imbalanced. An imbalance of hormones can be exaggerated by an American diet (high in fat and carbohydrates and low in fiber), a stressful lifestyle, and one’s environment. Women in other countries, who do not share our habits, do not experience menopausal symptoms. This newsletter will look critically at menopause. We will identify fact from fiction to understand the role that hormones play in producing the symptoms of menopause. |
Menopause
is Not an Estrogen Deficiency Problem Menopause occurs when a woman permanently stops ovulating, or producing an egg that can be fertilized and used for reproduction. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman no longer has a monthly cycle for a year and has an elevated blood level of FSH. FSH is elevated when a woman stops ovulating or producing an egg. FSH does not reflect the amount of estrogen a woman has in her body. Measuring FSH level is what most doctors use to diagnose menopause. The FSH test  does
not measure estrogen levels, it only confirms that a woman has
stopped ovulating. Estrogen is made from a variety of sources.
The ovary is only one of many sources of estrogen. Estrogen is
available, because hormones made by the adrenal gland can be converted
into estrogen in fat and other tissue.sources such as soy and
flax seed. We are exposed to many chemical substances in the environment
that behave like powerful estrogens. With the abundance of sources
of estrogen available in the environment and the other sources
available in the body, it seems unlikely that estrogen deficiency
is the problem. When accurate estrogen levels are obtained from
the saliva, we find that most menopausal women have normal or
even elevated levels of estrogen in the
tissue. Blood levels of estrogen in menopause are usually low,
because the estrogen is produced in the tissue and not transported
from the ovary by the blood. (see Salivary Testing) We are exposed
to many chemical substances in the environment that behave like
powerful estrogens. Inside This Issue Saliva Testing Do I Need
Hormones? |
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