It hits you out of nowhere. You wake up one day and all of a sudden, you’re in your late thirties or early forties. You realize 1990 was over thirty years ago, and that one dance move you used to do so well leaves you with several days of pesky back and knee pain.
You’re noticing different things about your body — hot flashes, sleep problems, mood changes, irregular periods, decreased libido — and you can no longer deny this season of change. No, it’s not the hustle and bustle of your demanding life catching up with you: you’re likely experiencing perimenopause.
Perimenopause, or menopausal transition, refers to the transition your body makes to menopause. It can hit between the ages of 35-50 and last anywhere between a few months to 10+ years. While the timing and severity of symptoms vary from woman to woman, one thing is for sure: it can be a daunting and discouraging time without the right knowledge and resources to help you navigate this uncharted territory.
Why Do Doctors Prescribe Hormonal Birth Control for Perimenopause Symptoms?
It is commonplace for your doctor to prescribe oral hormonal contraceptives to alleviate your perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms. Many medical professionals believe the pill offers benefits such as regulating periods, reducing bleeding or pain, and improving acne.
But just because something is common does not mean it is normal. Birth control, now a class 1 carcinogen (1) according to the World Health Organization, only suppresses your period; it does not balance your hormones.
Taking hormonal birth control can often add insult to injury if you consider the serious risks associated with both short- and long-term use. Progestins (the synthetic version of the naturally-occurring female reproductive hormone progesterone used in hormonal birth control) may not only exacerbate your symptoms, but cause others such as high blood pressure, hair loss, anxiety, depression (2), and even increase your risk of breast cancer (3).
So don’t be deceived: instead of hormone regulation and symptom management, hormonal birth control may actually worsen existing symptoms and cause others.
How to Naturally Alleviate Perimenopausal Symptoms
The good news is there are many practical ways to find relief from your symptoms and experience the vibrant mind and body wellness you so desperately miss! Take note of these four tips to achieve optimal health and balanced hormones naturally, without the unwanted side effects of hormonal birth control.
1. Address root causes such as stress and past trauma.
An inability to manage stress well or cope with past trauma can lead to a myriad of health impacts. Further, remaining in a state of constant fight-or-flight will cause or worsen nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and more. Practicing stress management by adopting an exercise regimen, doing daily meditation/mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises, minimizing caffeine and alcohol consumption, and adjusting your work/life balance can improve by leaps and bounds any hormone dysregulation you may be experiencing.
My Daily Self-Care Journal can help you adopt a daily gratitude practice, which studies show to make us happier and healthier (4). Additionally, this self-care ritual will enable you to manage stress more efficiently, reduce ominous, overwhelming mental chatter, and boost motivation and joy that will noticeably improve your day-to-day life and wellbeing.
2. Focus on key nutrients, protein, and anti-inflammatory foods.
Food is medicine. The foods we eat have a direct impact on how every organ and system in the body functions.
Eating whole, nutrient-dense foods is one of the most immediate and impactful ways to take charge of your mind and body health. Making drastic diet and lifestyle changes can be overwhelming. But in The Essential Oils Menopause Solution, I provide a comprehensive 21-day program and meal plan — chock full of food tips, exercise recommendations, supplement protocols, and critical self-care rituals — that can quickly and easily get you back on track.
3. Support your body with supplements.
Food quality has greatly diminished over the past few decades, leaving even “healthy” foods less nutrient-dense than they were even 50 years ago. Supplements can bridge the gap and provide high concentrations of bioavailable nutrients your body so desperately needs. For relief from perimenopausal symptoms, here are some supplements that pack a big punch.
- Hormone Balance: From menstruation to menopause, this robust lineup of hormone-heavy-hitters was earnestly formulated to provide all-encompassing mind and body support for that season of transition to keep you energized and feeling your best.
- Adrenal Love: Stress is a part of life, but when it begins to feel impossible to manage and moments of peace and clarity become fewer and far between, it’s likely that your adrenals are overworked and maxed out. This incredible combination of adaptogenic herbs and nutrients supports your body’s stress response and helps you regain control.
- Magnesium Restore: Magnesium is vital to hundreds of processes in the body and most Americans are deficient. Magnesium Restore gently leads your body back into balance and can improve symptoms of depression (5), reduce inflammation, and improve PMS symptoms.
- Activated B Complete: Feeling tense, irritable, or having difficulty focusing? You may be vitamin B deficient. The benefits of Activated B Complete cannot be overstated. Support your body’s methylation pathways and cellular health – think detoxification, synthesizing neurotransmitters, producing energy, and more.
4. Use topical progesterone for immediate relief from symptoms.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery unless it’s a progestin, the synthetic hormone in oral contraceptives that attempts to replicate the naturally-occurring hormone progesterone.
Progesterone, a calming hormone that helps you literally keep your cool and is responsible for regulating your cycle, begins to diminish in women as early as their mid-thirties. While doctors do prescribe hormonal birth control to perimenopausal women, we know this does not come without risks such as women over 35 having an even higher chance of developing breast cancer.
Luckily, topically-applied progesterone can provide considerable relief from your perimenopausal symptoms without the side effects many women experience from oral contraceptives. Designed to work with your body instead of against it, Progest-Restore topical cream can take the edge off of those perimenopausal symptoms and provide immediate relief. The best part is it’s all-natural and bioidentical, which means you can rest assured that what you’re applying to your skin is not only effective but safe.
Find out if you would benefit from using topical progesterone here!
Get More Answers for Your Hormone Struggles
You don’t have to struggle with perimenopausal symptoms alone. My new book, The Essential Oils Menopause Solution, is jam-packed with easy-to-apply and proven solutions to promote actual healing through this transition in your life. In as little as twenty-one days, you can reclaim vibrant, optimal, and long-lasting health! Order your copy today and claim your FREE Menopause Tool Kit (a $500 value).
Order The Essential Oils Menopause Solution and Get Over $500 in Bonuses
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5173458/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27680324/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30193687/
4. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507265/
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