5 TIPS FOR GOOD HORMONE BALANCE DURING MENOPAUSE

Most women get their last period between the ages of 40 and 60. During this period your hormones will search for a new balance, this is also called menopause.

We will not have to explain to women what complaints are associated with menopause, from hot flashes to poor sleep and from mood swings to joint pain. The cause of these complaints? Changes in your hormone balance.

For more than 80% of women, menopause places an additional burden on the body. We are talking about both moderate and very severe complaints here. That is why we would like to give women in (pre)menopause some extra tips to ensure relief during this period.

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Tip 1 - Avoid stress
Stress during menopause causes your hormone system to become even more unbalanced. So we can say that Stress is fatal during menopause , it makes menopausal symptoms even worse .
It is important to know that cortisol (the stress hormone) always takes precedence. For example: when you are almost run over by a truck, there is only one thing that is important and that is to prevent this from happening - everything else is less important at that moment. Unfortunately, our body is not able to distinguish between stress as a result of a life-threatening situation or stress as a result of, for example, long/busy working days or stressful relationships. Often the latter are also long-term stress, which causes constant pressure on your hormone system.

What happens during menopause?
The female body goes from the fertile phase to the non-fertile phase during the transition. This reduces the production of female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone from the ovaries, after which it eventually stops completely. Because cortisol (the stress hormone) is made from progesterone, stress can increase the progesterone deficiency.

Tip 2 - Avoid "eating without real hunger"
Keeping your blood sugar stable is even more important during your menopause years. You often see an increase in fat around the organs in the abdomen of women during or after menopause. Metabolism slows down, making it easier for women to gain weight. We now know that there are all kinds of risks associated with too much fat around the organs.

Why do women gain weight during menopause?
Estrogen production decreases during menopause, the body compensates for this by producing more fat.

It is therefore even more important during menopause to maintain a healthy diet, nourishing yourself with plenty of vitamins and minerals to ensure a balanced hormone balance.

What is the best food to eat during menopause?
- the right fats.
- food rich in iodine.
- cruciferous and leafy vegetables.
- phytoestrogens.

Tip 3 - Keep moving
This way we prevent estrogen dominance and stimulate the growth hormone. Where many women move/exercise less as they get older, it is actually advisable to move more... this way you ensure that your hormone balance remains more balanced. We even recommend hitting the gym and daring to grab the weights. Strength training combined with a healthy diet will help prevent you from becoming insulin resistant (insulin resistance is the precursor to type 2 diabetes).

This has many advantages during the transition.
- you lose weight more easily.
- a more stable blood sugar level.
- less stress.
- a better posture.
- you maintain your weight better.
- firm arms and buttocks.
- more self-confidence.

Tip 4 - Eat lots of vegetables
By eating (> 400 grams) of vegetables per day you ensure a good breakdown of estrogen. Cabbage types are recommended, such as: broccoli and cauliflower because of the substance DIM (note: cook well).
But sprouts, radishes, kale, Chinese cabbage and white cabbage are also rich in isoflavones.

Tip 5 - A good night's sleep
As you get older, you produce less melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that makes you tired in the evening and fall asleep easily. The reason that sleep is disturbed is often due to night sweats and hot flashes.

Why is a good night's sleep so important?
When we sleep, growth hormone is produced, which has all kinds of advantages (for example: stimulating metabolism, it affects the strength of our bones, but we also need it for renewal and growth of tissues and muscles) . What we often see in women in menopause is that they have a lack of sleep or disturbed sleep, this affects your weight but you also hear many women in menopause about osteoporosis (also called bone loss).

So make sure that you can remain the best version of yourself during and after menopause by finding the right hormone balance for yourself.