It depends.
No doubt you will have read lots of articles.
These say no matter how good the our healthy eating is – there will always be something lacking.
The most important thing to think about is how are YOU feeling?
You might already know that that post 35 our hormones are on the decline.
This can mean increased tiredness, as well as :
Feeling more emotional.
Putting on weight around the tummy.
Low energy and often food cravings (this can be improved by eating healthy (nutrient dense) foods & getting out & moving more).
The dreaded perimenopause/menopause ‘sweats’ and hot flushes (see Menopause for more info)
There’s nothing wrong with buying supplements that can help boost how you feel.
And together with eating more healthily and moving more , they can often get rid of, or reduce the pesky hormonal changes.
If you are going to try some – just try one at a time.
Give it a few weeks to see the effect & whether it works for you.
Which supplements are the best?
Everyone’s different, so what might work for your friend might not work as well for you.
Get any supplements you’re considering taking checked out first by your doctor or physician. This is a must if you’re already on any medication .
Don’t take everything all at once- then you can see if each one makes a difference – if they don’t, move on and try something else.
Always read the labels and take the correct dosage – check what’s in them as well for your own safety and so you don’t duplicate ingredients.
Here’s what’s helped me;
Natural options
Hydrolysed collagen – this is for general ‘ well being’.
It’s great for the skin, helps with gut health & digestion, strengthens nails & boosts hair growth. It also gives you a mighty boost of protein , which is so important for hormone production , maintaining muscle and getting that lovely ‘leaness.’ (I have a little cap full daily and have definitely seen an improvement in my nails and skin.)
Most women just don’t get enough daily protein.
A no brainer for perimenopause/menopause is to start with the specially put together tablets for the Menopause/perimenopause – I tried one brand, but It didn’t help my symptoms, but some women swear by it.
Here’s some recommendations by a naturopathic doctor, who treats loads of women for perimenopause & menopause symptoms;
Magnesium Glycinate (300mg daily) & Taurine (3000mg daily) tablets, taken together with food.
Magnesium relieves stress and Taurine calms the brain.
(I tried these- they instantly made me feel calmer but I was still getting the flushes & sweats- although they weren’t as frequent. I changed the timings of when I was taking the tablets to see if that made a difference, always making sure I took the Magnesium & some of the Taurine in the evening).
Aswagandha – helps anxiety and promotes sleep. Dose as on bottle.(I added these in to see if it improved the quality of my sleep & it did).
Ziziphus -non addictive sedative , to help sleep. Dose as on bottle. Not tried this, but it works for some women.
Vitamin B6 (20 to 150 mg daily) to help healthy estrogen production ( I take these).
She also recommends micronized progesterone – you will have to see your doctor for this as it’s a prescription medicine in the UK. The capsules help sleep and hot flushes.
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( I added Black Cohosh , after taking magnesium & taurine tablets for a little while – 1 tablet daily, as many ladies have said it’s got rid of their hot flushes, night sweats and they could sleep again.)
Update: after only 3 days of taking Black Cohosh ( and still taking Magnesium & Taurine) my night sweats and hot flushes have gone!! I’m now sleeping through the night. I can’t believe it and am so happy.
My tablets worked for about a year , when a major life event hit me ( my mum died who I was very close to) & all my symptoms came back, despite me taking the same tablets. I then sought help from a specialist menopause clinic & was prescribed estrogen patches & progesterone in tablet form. My hot flushes, night sweats , sleeping have all been sorted !
I do still take Magnesium Glycinate,Vitamin B6, & Vitamin D (although the body can create this from sunlight, I was advised to take it all year round because of the weather in the UK !). Vitamin D is needed for healthy teeth, bones & muscles).
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Other ladies have found these useful;
Maca – can help to naturally balance hormones by encouraging your body to make the hormones it needs (I tried these in tablet form, but didn’t get on with them).
St.John’s Wort – can help mood and hot flushes. Dose as on bottle.
Montmorency Tart Cherry juice – helps sleep as it boosts the body’s natural production of sleep hormone Melatonin. Dose on bottle.
Valerian root (tea or capsules) – helps you fall alseep quicker and can improve your quality of sleep. Dose on bottle.
Or a ‘mix’ of magnesium, plus other sleep promoting supplements in one tablet
Symptoms can change as you go through the different phases, so again you may have to experiment with what works for you.
I’d love to know how you’re getting on and what you’ve tried/what’s worked for you.
Write a few words below , or drop me a message at claire@pilatesclaire.com
Claire x
