Muscle through menopause: Beyond the hot flash
“What is the purpose of a post menopausal woman? Humans are tribal creatures and our matriarchs have a wealth of wisdom to pass on to the next generation. ”
-Ericka Thomas
Transcript
Muscle through Menopause
Peri and Menopause and post menopause
Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor or endocrinologist. I am limited in my scope as a health coach and fitness specialist. My background includes trauma release exercise which gives me an expanded understanding of the nervous system connection to every biological system in the body.
I do not ascribe to the socially programmed victim mentality in the health care (sick care system that says we need to be drugged from puberty to death. But I do believe 100% in informed consent. So what I hope for today's discussion is that you will leave here with a better understanding of some of the tools at your disposal and confidence to be able to have a deeper discussion of some of these things with your health care provider from the standpoint of the only expert in the room in your body and experience.
“Menopause and perimenopause is an understudied area in science and so much of what passes for medical “knowledge” and the resulting women's health and wellness recommendations is patchy at best.
You don’t have to take my word for it. If you go to pub med and search for pregnancy= 1.1 million results, Menopause 97,000, Perimenopause 6,343 papers.” The Work IN
If we don’t know why something happens in a female body it may be because we haven’t asked the question. My intention for today is to empower you with what we do understand AND to give you permission to trust your body’s intuition and wisdom. Menopause is a natural transition; it is not a death sentence.
For the scope of today's discussion we will stay within the boundaries of the body.
What Menopause is and what it isn’t
Myth 1
Menopause is the end of life as we know it.
Menopause is not an end It’s a transition
We are lucky. Humans are one of very few animals that live beyond their reproductive years. Certain species of whales (4 so far). Most animals in the wild die when they can no longer reproduce. * Darwin and others believe that this is because there’s no purpose to a female beyond their ability to reproduce. An idea that serves to keep all women in their place.
Human menopause is a headscratcher for scientists if that theory is correct. Why do we live so long after menopause? What is the purpose of a postmenopausal woman?
Humans are tribal creatures and we need our matriarchs to pass on the wisdom of the tribe.
Women experience 3 hormone transitions in their life in which there is a complete reorganization of their metabolism and brain biology. Menarche, pregnancy and menopause. The brain resets itself during each one of these. There’s evidence that the brain actually changes size to adapt. It’s no wonder we can’t always find the word.
Myth 2
Menopause takes one year.
Menopause is actually only 1 day on the calendar
12 months without a cycle but doesn’t mean all the hormones are all the way gone. That’s why you can still experience symptoms for so long both before and after that 1 day.
When we’re talking about the symptoms of menopause what we’re really talking about is perimenopause. Perimenopause is the slow retirement of the ovaries. And gradual decline of levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
This decline isn’t linear which is why it is so different for each of us and why it can feel so chaotic. This can last 10 -15 years.
Basically your entire system, the whole body and all its networks are reorganizing themselves. Adapting to life without the ovaries pumping out estradiol and progesterone.
Hopefully today you might hear something that helps you find some pieces of your puzzle.
Myth # 3
Taking HRT will give you cancer. Nope * Even women who’ve had breast cancer may be able to take transdermal or vaginal estrogen. Balanced with progesterone. We have bioidentical options that can be compounded to fit the individual. There are options. The problem is that not all providers feel confident enough to prescribe but if you want it you can get it. You deserve to have all your questions answered. You deserve informed consent. You can say no and you can say yes. There are a lot of options if you want to go that direction. The menopause society
The change in hormones is only one part of the equation, it isn’t the only part. We have a lot of tools in our tool box.
Myth #4
Menopause is just hot flashes, once those stop there’s nothing else to worry about.
The link between the nervous system and the endocrine system happens in the Hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain. (also connected to adrenals and ovaries) This is important because the hypothalamus is our internal body temperature regulator. This is the source of the hot flash. The why is still a mystery but seems to be related to dropping levels of estrogen. It’s an interesting theory.
Why do some women get debilitating hot flashes and others don’t?
That's a good question. They haven't figured it out yet. This doesn’t seem to be a question that lends itself well to the typical double blind control study required by researchers. The list of symptoms is so long and varied and mimics general aging it boggles the mind. But maybe we can figure it out for ourselves.
Well sure hotflashes are the most visible/violent of our symptoms but it isn’t the most concerning. Insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, muscle and bone loss and frailty as we age are much bigger elephants in the room for longevity.
Symptom list:
Hot flash/night sweats
Sleep disruption/insomnia
Brain fog
Headaches/migraines
Cognitive/memory changes
Difficulty concentrating
Changes in vision
Anxiety
Depression
Mood Changes
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Urogenital atrophy
Vaginal dryness
Libido changes
Incontinence
Hyperactive bladder
Urinary Tract Infections
Pelvic organ prolapse
Skin changes
Hair loss
Dry itchy skin
Muscle loss (sarcopenia)
Bone loss (osteopenia/osteoporosis)
Joint pain/instability
Frozen shoulder
Body recomposition
Visceral fat increase
Weight gain
Gut dysfunction/microbiome changes
High blood pressure
Cholesterol changes
Insulin resistance
Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
Estrogen testosterone and progesterone
What do they do for you other than reproduction
Estrogens have critical functions in extragonadal tissues including liver, heart, muscle, bone, and brain, and estrogen treatments are currently under evaluation in clinical trials for several aging-related diseases.
recent studies showed that brain estrogens protect against insults-induced neuronal damages via both nuclear and cell surface membrane receptors
Estrogen
Estriol is made by the placenta. It’s only produced during pregnancy.
Estradiol is the primary sex hormone in premenopausal women and people AFAB. Premenopause is the time from your first period until you enter perimenopause -- the stage just before menopause. Estradiol is formed from developing ovarian follicles. It's responsible for female characteristics and sexual functioning. Estradiol is also important for bone and cardiovascular health.
Estrone is the main estrogen present during and after menopause. Synthesised from adipose tissue + adrenals
Helps with Bone health.Cognitive function.Production of nitric oxide, a molecule that helps blood vessels open. Important for cardiovascular function.
Level ranges
30 to 400 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL) if you haven’t gone through menopause yet
0 to 30 pg/mL if you’re postmenopausal
Testosterone
Libido/sexdrive
Muscle and bone health
Mood and energy
Cognitive function
Normal levels of testosterone in women are 15-70 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) or 0.5-2.4 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L).
Women actually have more testosterone than estrogen. When converted into the same measure. 150-700 picograms/mL
Progesterone
Prepares the lining of the uterus for pregnancy
Relaxation hormone during pregnancy
Regulates menstrual cycle
Post menopause relaxes muscles and supports sleep
Emotion and Mood
Supports thyroid function
Supports immune system
Libido
(sperm production)
Insulin + Cortisol
Multiple keys to multiple solutions
Improving insulin sensitivity - removing processed foods and hidden sugar
watch alcohol consumption - eat for gut health/ fiber/ variety - the power of the fast
Working with cortisol - understanding when cortisol is released and fueling the the body at appropriate times to allow insulin to do its job and not interfere with melatonin for sleep.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3879672/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3595330/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24562-progesterone
https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/progesterone/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3070250/
Hey there!
I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a health coach and trauma informed yoga professional bringing real world resilience and healing to main street USA.
I offer trauma release + yoga + wellness education for groups and individuals…regular people like you.
Book a call to learn how I can help.