Premature Menopause

Ah, the humble flaxseed. Who knew that such a small seed could have such a profound impact on your hormonal health?

As Dr. Lark and I wrote in Hormone Revolution, flaxseed helps women at every stage of hormonal development. For women in the throes of estrogen dominance, premenopause, early menopause, and even perimenopause, flaxseed helps to increase progesterone production while simultaneously flushing excess estrogen from your system. This keeps perimenopause symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding at bay.

For women suffering from signs of menopause like dry skin or a flaky scalp, flaxseed helps to keep skin and tissues soft and supple. Plus, it helps to lubricate those creaky joints that seem to show up out of nowhere.

Given all the amazing things that flaxseed can do for women of all ages, the question remains: How do I manage to get the four to six tablespoons a day I need for optimum hormonal health? The answer is deliciously easy.

I find that breakfast is a great time to get flaxseed. I’ve included my three favorite breakfast ideas for you, as well as an easy lunch and dessert option.

1. Add four tablespoons to a smoothie. My favorite is to take half a banana, 1 cup of berries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup fresh spinach, a handful of ice, and your flaxseed. Blend until smooth and drink immediately. The fruit “hides” the spinach, yet you are still getting 2+ servings of fruits and veggies!
2. Add four tablespoons to oatmeal. I like to “steam microwave” half an apple (diced) and add to a cup of cooked oatmeal. Sprinkle on some cinnamon and your flax and you have a hot meal that just sings of autumn.
3. Add four tablespoons to scrambled eggs. Yes, to eggs. You’ll have to trust me on this way. It is delicious! Scramble two eggs and add a little goat cheese and dill. Add the flax and mix well. It adds a nutty taste that goes beautifully with the goat cheese and dill.
4. Add two to three tablespoons to your salad. Start with mixed greens of your choice. Add chopped veggies (I like cucumbers, celery, carrots, and mushrooms). Top with four ounces of chicken or salmon and sprinkle on the flax. Dress with two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of tamari sauce (a wheat-free soy sauce). Presto! A delicious, Asian-inspired salad you’re sure to love.
5. Sprinkle two tablespoons into plain soy yogurt. Add a dropperful of chocolate raspberry liquid stevia to the yogurt, a handful of raspberries, and top with the flax. It’s reminiscent of a sundae…without the unwanted sugar and excess calories.

I thought I had seen it all until I opened one of my monthly health magazines and there it was…an ad touting the “safety” of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In a health magazine! Then, about three weeks later, I started seeing ads on TV also claiming that HFCS as “as safe as sugar.”

Are you kidding me? I’ve seen lobbies do and say some pretty remarkable things, but this takes the proverbial, HFCS-laden cake. And, to top it off, the Corn Refiners Association has launched a Web site called www.hfcsfacts.com. (Facts is their word, not mine.) Considering the fact that HFCS constitutes about 55 percent of the sweetener market, the Corn Refiners have a financial interest in keeping their product on the market. Even if doing so is dangerous to your health.

On their site, they claim that HFCS is nutritionally the same as honey. To say this is false is a gross understatement. Honey has many immune-boosting properties. HFCS, on the other hand, depresses immune response. The same site also claims that HFCS is equal in sweetness to table sugar. Also not true. HFCS is ranges from 120–160 on the relative sweetness scale. Table sugar (sucrose) measures in at 100. Even the name itself—HIGH fructose corn syrup tips you off that it will be sweeter than even fructose (which measures in at 140), let alone table sugar.

But this is just the beginning. Studies have shown that HFCS isn’t even metabolized like regular, naturally occurring sugars. HFCS is metabolized in the liver. From there, it is converted into triglycerides, those nasty fats that circulate through the blood. And elevated triglycerides are connected to a whole host of diseases, including heart disease and decreasing “good” HDL cholesterol.

Plus, chronic consumption of HFCS (and other sugars, including table sugar and fructose) kicks off a chain of hormonal imbalances, leading to weight gain and increased risk for diabetes. There is also research to indicate that HFCS may be a root cause of metabolic syndrome, leading a group of Canadian researchers to issue an “urgent need” for more stringent efforts to curb the addition of HCFS to foods and beverages.

On the hormone side, HFCS (and all refined sugars) plays absolute havoc with your system. With chronic use, it can overtax your adrenals, thereby either shutting down hormone production or causing your hormones to go haywire. Plus, a whole host of menopause symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, are worsened by excess sugar.

Even premenopause, early menopause, and perimenopause symptoms are severely affected by HFCS and other refined sugar. It worsens these estrogen-dominance conditions and their resultant issues like fibroids, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts. It also worsens PCOS and has been shown to be linked to fertility issues.

The long and short of it is this: Ignore the lobbyists' spin. Avoid HFCS like the plague. This means reading labels on all pre-packaged foods. One safe bet is choosing organic package foods (including ketchup!), as I have never seen HFCS in an organic product.

If you are craving something sweet to drink, try one of Sweet Leaf’s flavored liquid stevias. They have delicious flavors like root beer, orange, apricot, and vanilla cream. I just add a dropperful to a glass of natural mineral water and presto, natural soda! Best of all, I know that I am keeping my taste buds happy while keeping my body healthy.

Perimenopause (otherwise known as early menopause or premenopause) is the name given to the seven to 10 years preceding menopause. Here is a checklist to help you determine if you are in this stage of life. If you answer yes to two or more of these questions, you may be in early menopause.

• Do you have heavy, irregular periods?
• Are you retaining fluids?
• Have you gained more than 10 pounds?
• Are you experiencing sleep difficulties?
• Are you having headaches?
• Do you have bouts of brain fog—forgetting your friend's first name, where you put your car keys, or the point of a text you recently studied?
• Have you recently discovered cysts in your breasts?
• Have you been told you have fibroid tumors?
• Have symptoms from endometriosis worsened?
• Are you over age 35?
• Do you suffer from premenstrual anxiety, irritability, and mood swings?
• Do you have a decreased interest in sex?

Do you know if you really are post-menopausal? Or are you in early menopause? Or is that wave of heat you experienced really a menopause hot flash or just a passing flush?

Here is a wonderful checklist you can use to determine if you are in menopause, and if the symptoms you are experiencing really are menopause symptoms. The more statements you check off as being true, the more likely it is that you are, in fact, entering this stage of life.

Potential Signs of Early Menopause

• My last period was six months ago or longer (true menopause).
• My periods are lighter, less frequent, and of shorter duration (late perimenopause).
• I’m in my early to mid-40s or older.
• I’m having hot flashes.
• Intercourse is painful.
• My desire for sex has faded.
• I have difficulty achieving orgasm.
• I have frequent vaginal or bladder infections.
• I have difficulty sleeping through the night.
• I’m frequently tired.
• I’m anxious and irritable.
• I forget small details.
• My skin is drier, thinner, and more wrinkled.
• My muscles are losing their tone.
• I leak urine when I laugh, cough, or sneeze.
• I’m gaining weight.
• My joints and/or muscles ache.
• I have itchy, crawly skin.
• I sometimes feel as if electric shocks were going through my body