Menopause and Adrenal Health
Menopause and Adrenal Health
Did you know that the health of your adrenals has a direct effect on how well you cope with the menopause? When your ovaries stop producing eggs, the adrenal glands, part of your endocrine system, take over the job of producing oestrogen and progesterone from the ovaries once they start to fail and a good healthy takeover job can alleviate many of the more unpleasant menopausal side effects. If, as in my case, your adrenal function is well below par due to stress depleting them, then when the ovaries do stop making sex hormones, if the adrenals are not functioning well enough to make up the difference, that is when symptoms will occur.
The time to look after your stress levels is clearly long before this happens, but it is my belief that due to our busy western lifestyles we are finding that more and more women are suffering through this time and there is still not enough support to help them. Menopausal symptoms are so wide ranging, so unique to the individual, and sometimes so frightening when they mimic other disease processes we are fearful of. So many of us hit this time and discover there is a minefield of information on what to do and what not to do, whether to take HRT, or not, is it any wonder that it is a time of confusion and misery for so many of us. I would be first the declare my gratitude for the choices women now have in our generation, but having so much choice career-wise whilst also running a house, a social life, being an attentive partner and the best guilt-free mother we can be is putting a huge stress on our generation and this is, in turn, impacting our ease of journey through the menopausal years.
As I’ve already mentioned my journey of stress and endometriosis plunged me into my first symptoms at 42, long before my friends were encountering anything of the sort. I felt afraid and lonely at what I was dealing with, particularly having lost some important people in my support network. It was then that I was determined to take things into my own hands and educate myself so that I could improve my own health journey for the better and help others suffering too.
It’s not too late to support your adrenals (and your liver, as that also plays a part). In fact if you feel that adrenal fatigue could be you too you will definitely need to rethink your lifestyle and choices to allow for more relaxation and rest in order to rejuvenate and give yourself the best chance of minimising some of the harsher menopausal side effects. Stepping away from stressful situations and boundarying yourself is key. Look after your tribe, those that are really important to you and maximise time for self-care wherever you can. Focus on sleep and maybe take up a practice that will be calming, like meditation or yoga, which will allow for your para-sympathetic system to kick in. Listen to your body, recognise the signs that show you that you are doing too much and give in to them. Nothing is more important than your health, you can’t function without it - it’s that simple.
Adrenal fatigue not only causes a deficiency in hormones but also in many vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function efficiently. You can take a test through my website that will show you clearly which of these you may be deficient in and where it is best for you, personally, to supplement. If testing is not an option (and to my mind, I’d rather spend the money on my health rather than some other luxuries) then you can take a good multivitamin through this time, with B vitamins being the most valuable though there are other supplements that might be just as important for you. Good gut health is paramount of course, it plays an integral role in hormone health, so a course of probiotics may support your immune system, and there are several herbs known for being particularly supportive for your adrenals such as ashwagandha, ginseng and maca.
Avoiding sugary and refined carbohydrates that just create surges of glucose that stress the adrenals is key whilst ensuring that with each meal you have an intake of protein, good fats and fibre (in the form of low starchy vegetables). If you aren’t supplementing make particularly sure that you have a wide range nutrients going in, variety is key. I know that when I am doing all this right, I feel so much better for it.