Perimenopause and Nausea

For most people, nausea is one of the worst feelings there is. After all, you don't only feel bad or feel sick, but your feelings are usually accompanied by the thought of what may happen if the feeling gets out of hand. The gross and undesirable outcome of nausea gone out of control is something everyone hates!

Unfortunately for women, perimenopause and nausea can sometimes go hand in hand. Many women say that the nausea experienced during perimenopause is similar to pregnancy's morning sickness, except much worse! Some women have reported going through days or weeks of nausea in which they are able to eat only one thing, and only in small amounts.

The constantly turning stomach presented by nausea and perimenopause's other symptoms can be debilitating to a woman. Women often do not get enough nutrition, which leads to headaches, lack of concentration, and fatigue. In the worst cases a woman may be left unable to do any of her regular daily tasks or become under-nourished.

So what can a woman do about perimenopause and the nausea that may come with it?

If a woman is having her first nausea attack, she is asked to make sure that being pregnant is out of the question. Once this has been ruled out, she must find ways to cope with the symptom. Each woman's nausea tends to be different, and so she'll have to find a way that works for her. Some women say that eating soda crackers or drinking soda can help, while others say that an increase in the amount of water being drunk throughout the day can help as well.

Other women claim that meditation or relaxation techniques work as well. This is usually in support of the theory that perimenopause symptoms (nausea included) can be caused or made worse by extreme stress. Spending a few hours each day to meditate seems to help some women cope with both nausea and their other perimenopause symptoms.

Since doctors are still unsure which specific hormonal imbalance triggers the nausea experienced by women in perimenopause, the best advice they give involves a complete change in the woman's lifestyle. Usually doctors recommend regular exercise, strict sleeping habits, and healthy eating as one holistic way to rid women of nausea and perimenopause symptoms in general.

Remember, your perimenopause and your nausea can be entirely unique to you. Your best bet at surviving it all is to educate yourself about all the symptoms of perimenopause, understand what goes on internally, and find the coping tricks that work best for you!

How to Know the Symptoms of Peri-Menopausal Stage

How can you tell whether the symptoms of peri menopausal stage are occurring in your life right now? Also called 'menopause,' this stage occurs one year after your last period. So how do you deal with this life-changing experience?

Every woman is unique when it comes to experiencing these symptoms of peri menopausal stage. Menopause takes place at different ages among women. There are women who experience it during their thirties while others have it around their forties. Consider yourself lucky if you're one of the few women out there who won't experience big changes during their menopausal stage.

If you went through the surgical removal of your uterus or both your ovaries, you may encounter abrupt changes within your body, such as your hormones dropping instantaneously. This is also called surgical menopause.

So how do you know if what you're experiencing is the real deal? Below are some of the symptoms that are likely linked to menopause?

-          Hormonal hot flashes

-          Irregularity of periods

-          Insomnia or difficulty with sleeping

-          Mood changes

-          Palpitations

-          Hair loss

-          Dry skin

-          Decreased libido

-          Dryness of vagina

There are several other conditions that may mirror these menopausal symptoms. Health factors such as thyroid disorders also have similar symptoms to that of menopause. Ask your health care provider for appropriate tests and interventions in this case.

There are several menopausal tests that your health care provider might suggest. Follicle Stimulating Hormone test or FSH test work up will tell you if you're going through a hormonal change caused by menopause. A pelvic exam will determine cancer, cysts and tumors in your uterus and ovaries. PAP smear is also an essential test that will detect and apply early preventive measures against cancer. Menopausal women should also undergo a mammogram every year to assess for breast cancer. And lastly, a self-breast exam should also be done every month for early detection of breast cancer.

More Symptoms of Menopause - Dry Skin and Hair Loss

Is dry skin a big part of your reality now that menopause symptoms have taken their toll? It may not be one of the worst symptoms, but it certainly can be part of menopause. Also, losing hair is another one of those "not so pleasant" side effects of menopause. Let's find out why this happens, and how they relate to menopause.

It's bad enough that women have to suffer through the night sweats and headaches, loss of sleep and irritability, but losing your hair? This is going too far isn't it? Some doctors are not convinced it really is caused by menopause, or a decrease in female hormones. But since it happens around the same time, it's possible that there is a relationship - although age probably has something to do with also. Of course the sun and gravity take their toll on a woman's skin too, so don't blame it all on menopause. Maybe about 50/50? Nobody knows for sure, but one thing is certain you need to stock up on skin cream at this age.

Since estrogen is decreasing during menopause, let's look at some of it's chemical side effects. The collagen and elastin that is in skin starts to degenerate which causes wrinkles to appear, which can be related to the estrogen decrease. Your skin starts to lose it's flexibility, and in many women the fatty layer just under the skin starts to become thinner as well. This also leads to more wrinkles, and a loser look to the skin. As the skin starts to sag, the wrinkles show up even more. Add to this the dryness many women experience at this time, and your skin is looking more like your Mothers every day, right?

Some women resort to taking the creams that are available with natural estrogen and progesterone ingredients, which are not only safer than taking HRT orally but more direct since they can be applied to the skin. These hormone-containing skin creams aren't a "miracle cure" for dry skin, but in many women seem to help slow down the process of aging skin, which is certainly a help. While you're at it, it's probably a great idea to either stay out of the sun, or use some type of high SPF sun blocking cream. Can you have both?
Shop around, as there are more than likely some creams that have both ingredients. If not just apply the estrogen or progesterone cream at night, and the sun block during the day! See if you find something that works, and keep experimenting. There are many alternatives out there these days, so why suffer with dry skin?

Another skin cream that seems to be popular is retinol-A, which has been around for awhile and seems to help the skin in many women. These creams are based on Vitamin A, and some women report smoother skin, reduced spots and wrinkles, and a healthier glow to the skin. They aren't cheap, but maybe worth a try. Of course the main thing you should remember is that eating healthy foods, which means less sugar for a start, is important to general health and skin. Drinking lots of water has also been known to keep the skin healthy as well, and don't forget those vitamins every day too.

How to Come Off HRT Safely, With Natural Treatments

If you want to know how to come off HRT safely, then you need to look at natural therapies. Many women don't realise that there are alternatives to HRT. HRT can be dangerous, with many links to serious disease, including cancer.

However, having the menopausal symptoms is little fun either. The hot flushes are especially unpleasant, as your thermostat goes completely haywire for a few seconds or minutes. Once a day would be bad enough, but many women have this several times a day.

Night time can be especially trying, with bedclothes on and off like the proverbial yo-yo. And this is likely to disturb your partner too. So you're both grumpy and tired in the morning, from lack of sleep.

Little wonder that you're prepared to try anything, even dangerous drugs.

However, there are always alternatives to everything.

A naturopath is likely to prescribe a herbal tincture or two for you depending on your symptoms. And this is quite likely to bring you relief, even if it doesn't cure the problem altogether. At least it doesn't harm you.

The raw food Maca is good at helping to restore balance to your hormones. Again, relief may be all that you experience, but it soon adds up.

If you carry a plastic water bottle with you, then the BPA which leaks into the water, especially in high temperatures, is likely to disturb your hormones badly. A change of water bottle to glass or stainless steel may make a huge difference to you.

Most people have a bad to terrible diet. They survive on large amounts of processed food and animal protein. If you can drastically cut both down, you may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Apart from the imbalance from de-natured processed foods, most farm animals are fed a cocktail of antibiotics and growth hormones through their short lives.

These are past on to the end consumer. You.

Modern diets are often critically short of the nutrients essential to a healthy immune system. By taking a natural, plant-based supplement, you can go a long way to rebalancing this deficiency. The blue-green algae, Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae, from Lake Klamath is probably the best on the market.

All drugs compromise your immune system. So only take what you can't survive without. Let all unnecessary drugs go.

Homeopathy is a complete and natural health care system which works by finding your personal cause of ill health. It works with your unique symptoms. If you work with a professional homeopath, you can replace your drugs, improve your health and let the menopausal symptoms go altogether.

Acne During Menopause - Easy Solutions

A change of life - that's what menopause is. It is the hallmark of changes that would lead to the actual menopausal event (that is the last menstrual bleeding of a woman) and the subsequent years after. Menopause then is the period of life in women when they have approached the stage of fertility loss, thus they would no longer be able to conceive after they have bled their last.

Apart from the loss of monthly menstruation, a woman in this stage will also experience a lot of changes which are usually hormonal imbalances. Women produce hormones called progesterone and estrogen while men have their own androgen. While these hormones could be found in various levels between both and women, estrogen and progesterone are still considered as the main hormones of the females. Since these hormones have their individual and vital functions for the development of women (most active during puberty and pregnancy), gradual loss of may mean gradual changes in the body. And during menopausal stage, the hormonal imbalances caused by declined production of the ovaries which will soon shut down would create various changes in the human body which include hot flashes, mood swings and menopausal acne or adult female acne.

The production of the female adult acne, like many other physical changes, is caused by hormones. But as we have said earlier, women during menopause are likely to have deficiency on the progesterone and estrogen. But since they continuously produce male sex hormones on small basis, several functions that are characterized with this hormone would still continue mature. Androgens, the male sex hormone, are responsible for muscular development, for stimulating the hair follicles and for the production of the skin oil or the sebum. The latter is the main culprit for the excessive development f the acne on adult female skin.

Aside from oil production testosterone also affects the manner by which the skin disposes its dead cells. There is a high possibility then that these cells are trapped in the hair follicles and the pores along with the excess oil that have been produced. The accumulation of dirt on the outer layer of the skin plus the mixture of oil and dead skin cells in the pores will trigger the immune system to send its white blood ells to prevent the inflammation. But since all these components would e trapped in the pores, the white blood cells along with the oil and the dirt would get trapped inside the pores. Thus, producing inflamed red bumps or acne.

This cosmetic problem is very distressing among menopausal women. But since the problem lies with the deficient production of female sex hormones, the usual treatment used in these cases is the hormone-replacement therapy. This treatment uses anti-androgen progestin and estrogen to counter the excessive production of oil and the loss of many functions that are associated with progesterone and estrogen.

But aside from this major treatment, there are other easy solutions that a woman can use to counteract the production of acne. These include the following:

Maintenance of good skin, due to your lost of elasticity in your, you now have to attend to your skin more often to maintain your complexion. You could also apply non-comedogenic topical solutions or creams. Comedon is simply the medical term for blackheads and whiteheads, so non-comedogenic means solutions that would not stimulate the breakout of acne.

Skin cleansers which are soap-free are also good for your skin. It is also good not to use soaps with high moisturizer content as this may aggravated the present skin problems. The use of astringent must also be minimized. Although this can aid the skin to remove the excessive oil production, the benefits are only short-term which might also lead to irritation. Abrasive cleansing of the skin must be prevented as this may irritate the blackhead and whiteheads and the developing acne.

Regular sunbathing must also be minimized. While some women have noticed improved changes on their acne after sunbathing, too much exposure in the sun would likely lead to more grave consequences.

Lastly, another great solution for acne removal is simply by maintaining good diet and regular consumption of fluids. Diet and fluids may not have direct effect on acne these could result to far healthier skin which is crucial during the menopausal stage.

Vaginal Dryness Symptoms And Treatments - Atrophic Vaginitis

A woman's genital area often changes during, after or even just before they reach menopause. Many women can suffer from symptoms such as pain during sexual intercourse, vaginal dryness and itching and urinary discomfort. Thankfully, all of these symptoms can be easily treated nowadays. Treatments such as HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), oestrogen gels and female lubrication gels are all readily available.

Atrophic Vaginitis - What Is It?

At the neck of the female womb there are glands which produce fluids and lubrication (mucus), these fluids act to keep the tissue and skin around the vagina supple,tight and moist. Oestrogen levels in the females body directly affects these glands and the skin tissue and muscles around the vaginal area and this leads to vaginal dryness. The oestrogen affects the elasticity of the vagina and also the thickness of the vaginal lining. The oestrogen also helps to produce the natural proteins (glycogen) which helps to prevent infection in the vaginal area as well as prevent menopausal vaginal dryness.

When a woman reaches either perimenopause or menopause her ovaries will start to produce less and less of the oestrogen. This reduction of oestrogen leads to a thinning of the skin tissue around the vagina. The glands that produce the lubrication also start to reduce and the fatty tissue around the vagina also starts to reduce. It is very common for the vagina to change its appearance after going through "the change."

The reduction in the glands and the thinning of the skin results in vaginal dryness. The vagina may also start to lose its elasticity and the skin may also start to look paler than it did. These changes will start to occur over a period of months or years and the symptoms can vary greatly between different women. The proper medical term for these problematic conditions and symptoms is Atrophic Vaginitis.

Is Atrophic Vaginitis a Common Complaint?

Atrophic Vaginitis is extremely common and almost one in every two women will face some of the symptoms associated with atrophic vaginitis. The symptoms are likely to increase in years after menopause but can be experienced leading up to the menopause (perimenopause).

The Symptoms Of Atrophic Vaginitis

Not all women experience the aforementioned symptoms and may go through menopause with little discomfort. In some women however, some of the following symptoms may occur. Atrophic Vaginitis can be the cause of some of the following symptoms but they can also be caused by other infections or conditions. Always get the advice of your Doctor.

Painful And Uncomfortable Sexual Intercourse

Because the lack of oestrogen causes a reduction in lubrication, the vagina loses the ability to keep itself lubricated during sex. The vaginal dryness can make sex uncomfortable and even painful. The lack of moisture will ultimately lead to your vagina becoming sore.

General Discomfort in the Vagina

This can be caused by the Vulva being inflamed. Discharge from the Vagina. Vaginal discharge can be caused by infection which occurs because the Vagina's ability to fight infection is reduced.

Vagina Itchiness.

The lack of moisture and mucus in the vagina makes the skin dryer and more sensitive in the vaginal area. This will make the vagina more likely to itch and irritate.

Urinary Problems.

Atrophic vaginitis can be the cause of several urinary problems and they are usually y caused by the thinning of skin and muscle around the neck of the bladder or urethra. These symptoms can be anything from a need to get to the loo quickly or painful urinary infections.

Vaginal Dryness - What Can You Do?

The symptoms of atrophic vaginitis are varied and will be different for everyone. The cause for a lot of the symptoms of atrophic vaginitis are the lack of oestrogen, this can be treated by replacing oestrogen.

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

This form of treatment is not always popular with women, it involves taking oestrogen in tablet form or via gels or patches. There are pros and cons, but these will need to be addressed in a separate article.

A treatment that is successful for many women who are suffering from symptoms of atrophic vaginitis is the use of Oestrogen creams or a vagina ring which contains oestrogen. This enables you to apply oestrogen to the vagina area only over the course of about 3 months. Be careful when reading the instructions when using this treatment and make sure you apply the right amounts of cream. This is usually enough time to see the effects of the treatment. After a period of time the symptoms may occur again, so it is often necessary to be assessed by a Doctor and a second round of the treatment may be what is required.

Female Renewal (Vaginal Lubrication Gels)

One of the most common symptoms can be Vaginal dryness and if this is the only symptom that you have, then a Vaginal lubrication gel may be the only thing that you require. These gels (like Intivar ) have been designed and formulated to help replace moisture and to increase blood flow in the vaginal area. This increase in blood flow can help the Vagina to start lubricating itself again. Intivar Female renewal gel also has tightening properties which can also help with increasing enjoyment from penetrative sex. Read the full Intivar review elsewhere on this site.

Author: Jackie HJ White

Menopause Relief And Herbal Remedies From South America

What about the rain forests

With all the attention in the news these days concerning the depletion of the Amazon rain forest, you might be concerned about the supply of herbal remedies from South America. What happens to all those amazing plants that are used everyday by millions of women to get menopause relief by using herbal remedies?

This is a huge problem, and getting worse all the time. Not only are the rain forests being depleted and plants disappearing at an alarming rate, but other sources of wild herbal remedies are under attack as well.

Wild herbs and their harvests

It is surprising that many wild plants are nearing extinction or being severely depleted by wild harvesting. Just take a look at this quote from the Botanic Gardens Conservation International:

On January 18, 2008, the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (representing botanic gardens in 120 countries) stated that "400 medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, from over-collection and deforestation, threatening the discovery of future cures for disease." These included Yew trees (the bark is used for cancer drugs, paclitaxel); Hoodia (from Namibia, source of weight loss drugs); half of Magnolias (used as Chinese medicine for 5,000 years to fight cancer, dementia and heart disease); and Autumn crocus (for gout). The group also found that 5 billion people benefit from traditional plant-based medicine for health care.

It is not hard to imagine all the small group of well-meaning harvesters of wild herbs and plants gathering their natural products and feeling happy in what they are doing. On the other hand, by over-harvesting they are actually doing incredible damage to their own livelihood.

What are some of the herbal remedies from South America?

There are literally thousands of plants used in South America for treating the night sweats and other symptoms of menopause. One of the best and non-endangered is maca. Maca is well known and safe to use. It has no known health risks, but many wonderful benefits.

In Peru, where maca is common, there are government agencies that regulate the it's production and exportation. While it is readily available at any village market in the regions in which it is grown, exporting is a different story, especially if you are certified to be organic.

Maca is a wonderful food and is called an herbal remedy, though it really is not an herb. It is a bit like a potato, and is eaten by the locals, as it has been for thousands of years. It is well known that maca acts as a balancing agent in the body to help maintain health and well-being. It is also widely recognized as having no ill side effects.

As an added plus, maca often helps increase libido in men and women. This is obviously a wonderful benefit because the libido can dwindle down to near zero during menopause. Not only do you feel better, your hot flashes diminish or disappear, but you can feel aroused again and ready for some loving!

Learn more about maca and sex drive here...