Several products are sold in health shops for treating menopausal symptoms, including herbal remedies such as evening primrose oil, black cohosh, angelica, ginseng and St John's wort.
Consuming more foods that are high in phytoestrogens can also replenish estrogen in the body. These foods include sesame seeds, beans, tofu, and soy. Include low-fat dairy products in your healthy diet, as well as fats from plant sources, such as nuts and seeds.
Vitamins and minerals that play a role in hormonal balance and managing estrogen deficiency symptoms include B complex, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and boron. Herbs and dietary supplements, including dong quai, black cohosh, astragalus, and DHEA, may have a more direct effect on low estrogen levels.
Because B vitamins play a vital role in the creation of estrogen, low levels of B vitamins can result in reduced production of estrogen. Vitamins B2 and B6, in particular, are associated with healthy estrogen levels.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Estrogen creams, sprays, and gels are safer than the pill form of estrogen, but there isn't enough study to back up the claims. They also carry the same risk of cancer and stroke.
Estrogen therapy (ET) replaces some or all of the estrogen that your ovaries would be making until menopause. Without estrogen, you are at risk for weak bones later in life, which can lead to osteoporosis.
And the continued low estrogen levels lead to more serious health concerns. The rate of bone loss speeds up, increasing your risk of low bone density, osteopenia and osteoporosis. You also have a higher chance of having a heart attack, stroke or other heart-related issues.
Isoflavones. One alternative that is now generating substantial interest is phytoestrogens and in particular a group called isoflavones. These are compounds found in foods that can behave in a similar way to oestrogen in the body.
One of the common treatment options for menopausal symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), supplementing your hormone levels to rebalance your system. However, you may prefer to move through menopause without using hormone treatments. And, women with previous hormone-dependent cancer shouldn't use HRT.
In the United States, you can only purchase estrogen with a valid prescription. There are OTC options to relieve menopausal symptoms in the form of supplements, vaginal tablets, and creams. The FDA does not regulate supplements. They may also not be as efficient as prescribed medication.
You can take estrogen in the form of a pill, patch, gel, vaginal cream, or slow-releasing suppository or ring that you place in your vagina. If you experience only vaginal symptoms related to menopause, estrogen in a low-dose vaginal cream, tablet or ring is usually a better choice than an oral pill or a skin patch.
Magnesium is critical in the making of hormones
Magnesium is needed for the production of hormones such as progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Oral estrogens.
Vitamin C may increase the levels of ethinyl estradiol in your body.
Estrogens are more effective in atrophic vaginitis. Nevertheless, vitamin E improve the laboratory signs of vaginal atrophy. Vitamin E and estrogens have similar improving potential of sexual function of postmenopausal women.
And how do you go about it? If you are healthy, most experts agree that HRT is safe to use at the lowest dose that helps for the shortest time needed. If you're 59 or older, or have been on hormones for 5 years, you should talk to your doctor about quitting.