Pre Menopause Symptoms – 12 Common Effects of Low Estrogen and High Estrogen Cause
Posted in Health & Fitness on January 10th, 2010 by admin – Be the first to comment
Author: Elizabeth A. O’Brien
Source: ezinearticles.com
As you know, menopause is the stage in life when we women no longer menstruate. Pre menopause is the stage before menopause when our bodies are gearing up for the big change.
In pre menopause, our hormone levels begin to shift, and boy, do we feel the effects of those fluctuating hormones!
Although you may think that your pre menopause symptoms are due to low estrogen, estrogen levels are usually fine during pre menopause. It’s during menopause that our estrogen levels drop.
The culprit for our pre menopause symptoms is a sinking progesterone level.
Depending on where you are on your road to menopause, you could have a low progesterone level, a high estrogen level, or a low estrogen level.
Those erratic hormone levels can cause quite a few uncomfortable symptoms. See your doctor to get a hormone test and find out what stage your body is in.
12 Pre Menopause Symptoms
Although we are all different, and we experience our hormonal shifts differently, here are 12 of the most common symptoms of our crazy hormones.
1. Irregular Periods – As we near the end of menstruation, our periods begin to act a bit differently than before. They could be heavier, lighter, longer, or shorter. The key is that they are different than they used to be.
2. Hot Flashes – Not fun. One moment everything is normal, and the next moment, you are sweating and wishing you lived in the Arctic.
3. Night Sweats – Also not fun. It’s really hard to sleep when you are lying in a burning inferno.
4. Migraines and Headaches – As if suffering with a pounding headache was not enough, what change in diet will help? Avoiding chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol. (Heavy sigh)
5. Exaggerated PMS Symptoms – This can include tender breasts, cramps, and moodiness.
6. Vaginal Dryness – Vaginal dryness make having sex and urinating painful experiences.
7. Problems Sleeping – We may be tossing and turning because of night sweats or because we just can’t sleep!
8. Weight Gain – Along with gaining weight, the weight that we are gaining is gravitating to new places! Our waist lines are feeling the bulge.
9. Joint Pain – Seeing your doctor right away can help you to treat this symptom.
10. Acne – Seriously!? This one seems completely unjust. Didn’t we spend all of our teenage years with acne?
11. Loss of Sex Drive – Between the ages of 35-55, a woman’s testosterone lowers by 50%. Among other things, this low testosterone can affect your sex drive.
12. Thinning Hair – We loose hair because of low estrogen levels.
Help!
Since your pre menopause symptoms are caused by an imbalance in your hormones, taking hormonal supplements can help you to banish these symptoms.
You have options when it comes to choosing your hormone supplements. They range from synthetic and natural hormones prescribed by your doctor, to herbs, vitamins, and other natural remedies that you can buy over the counter.
Hello, Doctor
First, remember that you should visit your doctor to have your hormone levels checked. You can have a blood, urine, or saliva test to determine your hormone levels.
If you find that you have low levels of progesterone, estrogen, or testosterone, your doctor can prescribe pills, creams, patches, or shots to help you achieve balance.
Natural Remedies
Many women find the use of natural herbs to be very helpful in their quest to balance hormone levels.
The two herbs that get the most hype and offer the most help are black cohosh and dong quai.
Black Cohosh – This is an herb that has been used by Native American women for centuries. They call it cramp bark because it helps to relieve painful symptoms of PMS. It works because it has an estrogen-like effect on our bodies.
Dong Quai – This is also an herb, and this one has been used by Chinese herbalists for centuries. It can help relieve hot flashes, night sweats, and other pre menopause symptoms.
Elizabeth A. O’Brien invites you to visit her website http://www.estrogensource.com to learn more about naturally balancing your menopausal hormones.
Listen to your body. Improve your health! Visit http://www.estrogensource.com