Can We Do Better, Menopause? I Mean...COME ON!
I started this blog post a few weeks ago from a vulnerable place. I had a headache, I slept crappy, and my mood was down in the dumps. I’m in a much better place today (basically, how menopause goes—one day crappy and the next day, I’ve never been better!) but I feel it’s important to share all sides of this transition of life because it’s real. You hear about the typical symptoms and the only thing you hear is to get on hormone therapy. I’m hear to tell you there is so much more to it.
I’ve been dealing with menopause symptoms (hot flashes, insomnia/restless sleep, loss of libido) since April 2020. (I know, as if 2020 wasn’t bad enough.) but I’d been perimenopausal for two to three years prior. My periods were random, sometimes clumped together, one cycle heavy than then next barely there, dramatic mood fluctuations, and so on. My body did not feel like my own and still doesn’t.
I began seeing a naturopath back in late 2017 to see what was going on with my body and through blood, hormone, and neurotransmitter tests over the next couple of years, I started to get a clearer picture of my health. We made adjustments to my supplements based on the test results and onward we went. I didn’t know I was perimenopausal at the time but we began to have suspicions. We supplemented because certain numbers were low and that’s exactly why I had the tests done. To get answers and find real solutions.
However, I felt a backward slide ever since I broke my ankle in July 2019. After eight weeks (four in a walking boot), it still wasn’t healed. This was about the same time that we realized my calcium and vitamin D had come back low AGAIN so I needed to up my supplementation (read: be consistent). Plantar fasciitis reared its ugly head as well as some lower back pain so I had lots of “in your face” things happening.
Prior to this, I had a breast thermogram test that revealed I had elevated estrogen levels in my breast tissue and after reading about BII (Breast Implant Illness) I decided to remove my 11-year-old saline implants to remove any unwanted toxins floating around. I scheduled that for early 2020 and found myself recuperating during quarantine. This is when my menstrual cycle went on a final hiatus and the hot flashes became a regular thing, day and night.
So when I say 2020 was not a highlight for me, it was for way more than just COVID. It was a time for a completely new set of health issues than I had had before. I had to relearn my body and what it needed. I did what I could at home in terms of exercise, took lots of walks, and spent time reading and loving on my family. But the hard part was, on top of the surreality of COVID and the quarantine, I didn’t feel like myself. I had been doing really well up until July 2019 and when things started to go downhill, my mental state did, too.
I feel like my body has betrayed me because I ate all the “right” things, moved my body daily, took ALL the supplements, and even quit drinking alcohol, and this is how she repays me?
The things that had worked before no longer weren’t. My energy levels dropped, my muscles felt weak, and I just felt angry all the time. Everything just felt really hard.
Thank God for 2018 because I chose to stop drinking and if it wasn’t for that, I think I would’ve set myself up for an even bigger fall. I began turning inward, trying to understand what I wanted in my life, what emotions I wanted to feel, and doing things that allowed me to feel those things. The AWED Life (Awake, Well, and Empowered) sprung from that reflection and I started creating content around that framework.
So here I was, doing all this great internal work and all of a sudden the wheels of my body were falling off? I mean what gives. One word…menopause. She’s a nasty gal. Hating her hasn’t helped me much so I’m working on understanding her better and helping us become friends.
What I’ve learned so far:
As estrogen declines, so does my joint flexibility and lubrication. Hence, the plantar fasciitis, knee stiffness, and lower back pain. (It’s worse for me in the morning and eases up as I move about my day.)
The loss of estrogen causes a decrease in our ability to maintain and grow muscle
The decline in estrogen production can reduce bone density causing osteoporosis
The decline in hormone production can cause mood swings.
Decreased amounts of progesterone can disrupt sleep and cause insomnia
I know. This sounds awesome, right? <eye roll>
But wait! There’s more! There’s also the hot flashes (estrogen helps regulate our body temp), vaginal dryness (caused by vaginal atrophy—I know, so many jokes here), and even incontinence!
What I’m learning is that this is all temporary and our bodies will eventually regulate. But in the meantime, what can we do?
I’ve recently reached out to a functional doctor to rule out any concerning inflammation sources or nutritional deficiencies and hopefully, we’ll be meeting in a few weeks after I do some testing. I’ll keep you posted on what I learn and on the progress we make.
But in the meantime, here are some things I’m doing to help.
Turmeric/Curcumin Supplementation
is a phytoestrogen that helps bring balance to the hormonal imbalance that happens in menopause
helps with inflammation, help the mood swings by balancing serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline
helps the liver detox the hormone dumping that’s happening
helps my skin keep its glow, despite menopause’s attempt to dry me up
helps with hot flashes as they are a sign of toxicity and decreased levels of female hormones
Fasting/Intermittent Fasting
helps with detoxification
reduces inflammation and pain
triggers growth and repair of muscles and tissues
enhances cell regeneration
Stress* Management Tools
a morning ritual (ex. meditation, affirmations. gratitude practice, journaling, visualization)
mindful movement (walking, stretching, yoga, pilates, etc.)
music/mood-boosting playlist (kitchen and getting ready dance parties are the best!
journaling (self-expression, brain dump,
soaking baths with Epsom Salts and essential oils
aromatherapy/essential oils
reading
*Stress can be a source of low-grade and chronic inflammation which leads to poor gut and immune health. It’s important I get this in check and I know I haven’t been doing a good job for a while now.
I’m going to be sharing more about some of these practices in detail but know that these things have been saving me. Truly.
There is always the bio-identical hormone replacement route and rather than talk about something I don’t know much about yet, here’s a great medical article I read to stay informed. I’ll report back after an upcoming visit to a functional medicine doctor and my lab results.
with AWE,
Hallie