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Treatments for Menopause

By Victoria Carrington, M.D.

Traditional hormone therapy, using hormones derived from horses, has been recently called into question because of serious adverse effects associated with these therapies. Increased rates of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease were found to be associated with traditional HRT. For these reasons, many women are now looking to natural hormone therapies which may be safer and have fewer side effects than traditional HRT.


Natural Progesterone
Estrogen will fall 40% to 60% and progesterone levels will fall to essentially zero by the time of menopause. Many of the symptoms of menopause are thought to be due to a phenomenon known as estrogen dominance. In this condition, a woman has too much estrogen relative to the amount of progesterone in her body. As a result, the body is “off-balance” in terms of female hormones circulating throughout the body. Using bioidentical, natural progesterone cream to replace declining progesterone can offset these imbalances and relieve symptoms of menopause.

Progesterone is known to have important effects in the body. Some studies have shown the following effects of natural progesterone:

Dr. John Lee, an expert on menopause and perimenopause, has done research that suggests the effectiveness of natural hormone therapy for symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Natural hormones (or bioidentical) are synthesized from natural, plant-based hormones to exactly match the hormones found in the human body. This proccess is the same used for commercial HRT hormones, the only difference being that they are made to be identical to the hormones they are intended to replace or supplement, as opposed to creating them with a different structure so that they may be patented, and profitable. By matching the body’s hormones, experts believe that the body will be able to better tolerate natural hormones with few, if any side effects. Although long-term data on diseases such as cancers found after the use of BHRT are not available, in theory, these risks should be minimal because the hormones are identical to those found naturally in the body. Dr Lee and other experts believe that by supplementing with topical natural (bioidentical) progesterone during the second half of the menstrual cycle, symptoms of "estrogen dominance" are reduced or disappear completely.

Studies have shown positive effects of progesterone therapy on hot flashes, one of the more troubling and widespread symptoms of menopause. In a double-blind trial of 102 women, use of progesterone cream was found to significantly reduce hot flashes and related menopausal symptoms. Women who want an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should consider natural progesterone cream.

Consult the Hera Essence Progesterone Cream page for more information.

Phytoestrogens
Protein extracts of soybean and soymilk contain several different estrogen-like substances called isoflavones. Because they may mimic the effects of estrogen, they're sometimes called phytoestrogens. Studies have so far shown that they provide many of the benefits of estrogen without the negative side effects, such as stimulating cancer or endometriosis.

Soy isoflavones may be useful in women with mild to moderate post-menopausal symptoms, and in preventing bone loss. Hot flushes are uncommon in women from countries where the consumption of soy products is high, such as Asian countries. In fact, there is no precise Japanese word to describe a hot flush.

In addition to their hormone-balancing function, phytoestrogens can help lower cholesterol. Studies have shown that soy isoflavones decrease levels of LDL (“Bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides (stored fats) and that the higher the initial cholesterol level, the greater the effect.

Various herbs have been used in the treatment of premenopause although there is conflicting data on most. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) contains a large number of phytoestrogens and has shown estrogen-like activity in some studies; however, it has not been shown to decrease symptoms significantly more then placebo. Chasteberry, dong quai, ginseng, licorice and evening primrose are also used for the management of menopausal symptoms, but without clear and convincing evidence of their effectiveness.

A number of clinical trials, however, have found that black cohosh relieves some premenopause symptoms, including hot flashes and depressed mood. Black cohosh has been reported to decrease hot flashes by 25% as compared with placebo. It has been approved for use in Germany. Clinical trials are currently under way in the United States.

Hera Essence TriEst Pro Cream is a proprietary blend of phytoestrogens and progesterone designed for severe symptoms of menopause.


Nutrition
A deficiency in a number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are associated with symptoms occurring after menopause. A well balanced diet is essential:

Eat “Organic” foods, to reduce xenoestrogens and pollutants in your diet

Reduce consumption of animal fats, to reduce xenoestrogens

Reduce or remove caffeine, refined sugar and salt

Take supplemental magnesium (400 mg), manganese (6 mg), B vitamins, and calcium (1,000 mg)

Increase whole grains, vegetables, and fruit

Hera Women’s Multivitamin, Hera Cal Mag for Women and Hera Antioxidant are designed to work in concert, to offer a complete solution to a women’s unique vitamin and mineral needs.