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Women face fluctuations in their oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone throughout their cycles from puberty onwards, during pregnancy and menopause. The drop in hormones can affect the body's physiological response to muscle tissue, can increase muscle stiffness, create sarcopenia (muscle loss) and can trigger inflammation.  Oestrogen in women affects almost every organ in your body (not just the reproductive organs) and low levels of oestrogen can affect your brain, bone health, collagen production, potentially delay recovery and you can risk further injury. 

Women can face menopausal symptoms from as young as 30 years upwards. Menopause is simply one day. Most women are either in perimenopause or postmenopause. It is a myth that menopause is simply a change in periods, hot flushes at night, dry lady parts and getting cranky! 

SYMPTOMS - Low oestrogen affects almost EVERY ORGAN in your body. You may experience no symptoms, one symptom, or many and it can completely disrupt your training, relationships, your job, your happiness and your lifestyle. Symptoms may gradually build up over time, can be mild, severe, infrequently, daily or continuously. The following symptoms have been taken from the 'BALANCE' app and listening to our clients;

MIND & EMOTIONAL - affecting cognitive function and the ability to perform simple tasks, brain fog, anxiety, paranoia, adhd, concentration problems, memory problems, memory loss, forgetfulness, disorientation, confusion, multitasking problems, panic attacks, word finding problems, distant, an out of body sensation, 'not quite with it,' vacantly gazing (blank look and mind), feelings of being overwhelmed, a knowing that your body isn't right but you cannot explain it, crying spells, loss of confidence, loss of hope, loss of joy (inability to find joy in anything), feeling flat or low, irritability, mood swings, thoughts of self harm, suicidal thoughts, low libido, loss of motivation, low self worth, frustration, feeling angry or annoyed, short tempered, confused, not coping, scared, difficulty sleeping (insomnia) 4am you'll be wide awake! and many more...

BODY - generally feeling unwell or ill, feeling that your body isn't right, inability to function even simple tasks, aches, muscle pain, muscle tightness, muscle loss (sarcopenia), inflammation, tendonitis, joint aches, stiff joints (arthralgia), arthritis, body aching, body seizing up, excessive doms (delayed onset muscle syndrome) and inability to recover from exercise (even after gentle workouts for days/weeks on end where stretching/massages/hot baths etc make little difference), difficulty walking, having to crawl upstairs, pain in entire body, breast tenderness or pain, breast swelling, lumps in breasts, atrophic vaginitis (inflammation, thinning and drying of vaginal walls), loss of control of bladder (incontinence), change in periods, loss of hair, BMS (Burning mouth Syndrome) - extreme heat/tingling in mouth, tongue and cheeks, slower wound healing (spots will take longer to clear), acne, tinnitus, vertigo, feeling dizzy or faint, headaches, migraines, heart palpitations, feeling sick, lethargic, tired, feelings of exhaustion, night sweats, feeling hot or inability for body to regulate temperature, hot flushes, weight gain (especially around the abdomen), fat redistribution to the abdomen, alcohol intolerance, loss of hair, brittle nails, loss of skin elasticity, skin thinning, dry and itchy skin and many more...

HRT - If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms it may be worth speaking to your GP. Science is now showing that there are many positives to taking HRT as it has been shown to lower the risk of dementia, alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, anytime during perimenopause onwards (although it is not for everyone so please do your research and speak to your GP first). HRT comes in many forms, capsules, sprays, patches, gels etc and most of our clients feel back to their normal selves and can manage symptoms better after 3 months. Should you wish to seek HRT options, there are many options both through your pharmacy, the GP, or privately. The NHS unfortunately today is still limited in what they can offer and unfortunately some GPs are very outdated with their current methods (one of our clients was told it's natural, get on with it!) and (you haven't hit menopause yet so there's nothing we can do!) There are of course some excellent and knowledgeable GPs out there, however, we have also heard many good reports of going privately through the Louise Newson Clinic. Whilst It is important to eliminate any serious conditions with similar symptoms, women have spent years being sent to multiple different specialists and getting no answers, as many symptoms can often be mistaken for other conditions. It therefore helps to go in with your private blood test results from medichecks.com as GPs often go on symptoms and don't test for hormone deficiency within your blood tests. 

At the time of writing this, GPs can help with your oestrogen and progesterone levels but testosterone is difficult to obtain on the NHS and you would need a referral to a specialist, and is usually only prescribed for low libido. Testosterone in women can help with many other symptoms including; mood and mental clarity, motivation, fatigue, energy and stamina, bone and muscle mass, metabolic process (where your body turns food to fuel), and your urogenital health (proper function of kidneys and urinary system). Many of our clients therefore opt for unlicensed and unregulated forms of testosterone desperate for relief from these symptoms. Some of our clients have had success with either prescribed testogel or you can obtain testosterone cream through hormonesandyou.com Legal disclaimer - this list is not a recommendation by us, and changes may interfere with your prescribed medication and so it's a good idea to do your research and speak to your GP first.

SUPPLEMENTS; Speak to your local health shop, even supermarkets shelve many menopause products now. The NHS currently list some herbal remedies to help manage the symptoms of menopause; evening primrose oil, black cohosh, angelica, ginseng, st john's wort and red clover as herbal remedies along with a nutritious diet. Clients also tell us they find relief for menopause symptoms with the use of fish oil, omega 3 capsules, creatine, collagen ,biotin, multivitamins, sage, turmeric, magnesium l-threonate, ashwaganda, probiotics, lion's mane mushroom, soy isoflavones, wild yam cream and with science there will no doubt be many more to come. Legal disclaimer - this list is not a recommendation by us, they are not tested or regulated, and may interfere with your prescribed medication and so it's a good idea to speak to your GP first.

SOCIAL MEDIA; Menopause matters website hosts some excellent information along with Davina McCall, Dr Mary Claire Haver, Dr Barbara O'Neill along with the balance app. Good luck ladies, we are all on this rollercoaster of a ride together!!

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