Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Perimenopause is the two to ten years leading up to menopause and is the time when symptoms are most likely to occur. Symptoms of perimenopause include anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, night sweats, and a reduced ability to cope with stress. Treatment options include magnesium and body-identical micronized progesterone such as Prometrium capsules.
Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in most plant foods. The two major classes are isoflavones in soy, and lignans in seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
They’re called phytoestrogens because they interact with estrogen receptors but they’re not estrogen. In fact, they bind so weakly to estrogen receptors that they effectively block estradiol and are therefore better categorized as anti-estrogen.
The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that activates the parasympathetic nervous system and increases levels of oxytocin and the calming neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Supporting the vagus nerve and thereby improving parasympathetic tone promotes relaxation, sleep, digestion, and healing.
Activating the parasympathetic nervous system dials down the sympathetic nervous system or fight-or-flight response. In that way, the vagus nerve acts as a built-in “stress-reset button.”
Can’t sleep? It could be your hormones.
Sleep disturbance is common during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle and is usually the result of dropping progesterone or a histamine or mast cell reaction.
Sleep disturbance can also occur during perimenopause and menopause.
Successful treatment of heavy periods relies on identifying an underlying cause such as hormone imbalance (low progesterone), adenomyosis, or thyroid disease.
Treatment for heavy menstruation is to treat the cause as well as use general period-lightening strategies such as natural progesterone and a dairy-free diet.