So many changes happen to our bodies as we age. As women, our forties can be especially daunting. To help handle the stress of both the physical and emotional changes to my body, I turn to a natural stress support supplement. This stress support supplement is a must for women over 40.
Not only does it tame the physical and emotional changes your body experiences during perimenopause, but it helps improve your body’s response to stress and boosts immunity for overall wellness.
I’m Too Young to Be Going Through Menopause.
A few years ago, just before I turned forty, I started having hot flashes. They usually occurred in the evenings when I’d have a cocktail or enjoy a glass of wine. Then they’d start in the middle of the day at work, for no apparent reason. My face felt like it was on fire. My body temperature would rise. And my upper chest, neck and face would turn a bright, very unattractive red. I chalked it up to stress or anxiety. Because at the time, I didn’t realize they were hot flashes.
Thank goodness for female friends. Because without our occasional complaints, gossip and chatter, I would have continued to suffer. The hot flashes became more frequent.
At first I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something I’d eaten. Perhaps something I’d drank. An allergy to elderberry perhaps. Or quinine? I kept cutting out possible allergens from my diet without success.
But luckily I have a friend who was going through the same thing. She told me that I was not having an allergic reaction. I was actually having hot flashes. She too would turn bright red with every hot flash. A red like that embarrassed blush I used to get when I got called on in class as a teenager.
Somewhat dubious that at forty I was having hot flashes, I reluctantly tried evening primrose to tackle the issue. And it worked. Being at least a decade too young to be experiencing menopause, I googled my heart out to figure out what was causing my hot flashes. This led to my discovery of perimenopause.
What I kept wondering though, was how the heck had I made it to my forties without a single doctor or GYN mentioning perimenopause?
What the Heck Is Perimenopause Anyway?
Perimenopause is basically a transition phase before menopause begins. While it typically starts for women in their forties, from time to time women in their 30’s and even their 20’s may experience perimenopause.
During perimenopause our ovaries slowly start producing less estrogen. Typically a woman will experience, on average, symptoms of perimenopause for about four years. However, for some women, symptoms continue for up to ten years.
During the last one or two years of perimenopause, the production of estrogen drops significantly. This is then followed by menopause in which the ovaries stop producing eggs.
The symptoms of perimenopause are a lot like premenstrual syndrome – only in overdrive. Not only does perimenopause cause worsened premenstrual syndrome, it also causes hot flashes. In addition there is also breast tenderness, a lowered sex drive, fatique, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, urine leakage, moods swings and trouble sleeping. So basically, it sucks.
And oh, yeah. You can still get pregnant during perimenopause. It may just be more difficult if you are trying to conceive later in life due to the drop in fertility.
Some women find relief from perimenopausal symptoms by taking birth control. I have an IUD and found that it did not help with hot flashes. So if you’re like me and are still experiencing hot flashes, either with or without birth control, there are other options. I delve more into those options further down. Along with a great stress support supplement to also help tackle those mood swings.
How Do I Know If I’m Experiencing Perimenopause?
Basically if you want to murder your ex whereas before you only wished he suffered considerably, you may have perimenopause. Ok, I jest. But not so ordinary mood swings – like those that take you from a super high all the way down to super low – are a sure sign of perimenopause. Especially if you know you’re not bipolar despite what your ex says. Insane mood changes, well. Welcome to my life.
Hot flashes are another tell tell sign. Hot flashes are basically a sudden rush of heat out of the blue. Some women experience flushing and sweating with hot flashes, while others may not. A hot flash that is coupled with redness in your face and neck, like I get, are called a hot flush. They can also cause rapid heart rate or chills.
If you experience hot flashes at night while sleeping, then they’re referred to as night sweats. So not only are you likely having trouble sleeping anyway, night sweats can compound the issue.
There are a lucky 20% of women who never experience hot flashes. (Can I bottle that magic?) However, if you’re in the other 80%, you can count on having them for about the next seven years. (Or eleven years if your genetics just hate you.)
Some of other sure signs of perimenopause include changes in your period, heavy bleeding, forgetfulness, bone loss, and as previously mentioned, vaginal dryness.
How to Ease Those Hot Flashes.
There are a number of things that commonly trigger a hot flash. These include stress, caffeine, alcohol, heat, cigarette smoke, tight clothing and spicy foods. By reducing these, you may experience fewer hot flashes.
If you aren’t ready to give up Thai food or wine, there are other options such as daily exercise and foods rich in plant estrogen. B-complex vitamins and vitamin E are also common supplements for women experiencing hot flashes due to perimenopause. Or you can tackle hot flashes as they happen through other natural options such as aromatherapy or cooling sprays.
However, through my quest to find alternative natural remedies for my fibromyalgia, I discovered a better supplement. This natural stress support supplement not only helps me body handle stress better, it also helps significantly with hot flashes. Especially when used in combination with a B-complex vitamin and evening primrose.
The Must Have Stress Support Supplement for Perimenopause.
A few months back I started taking an herbal stress support supplement called ashwagandha root for stress, anxiety and perimenopause. Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen that’s 50% more effective at treating anxiety than psychotherapy or a placebo according to a 2009 study.
As an adaptogen, ashwagandha not only aids with healthy stress response, it also helps to maintain a healthy hormone balance. So not only has it helped wrangle the worst of my mood changes, it’s stopped the majority of my hot flashes as well. (Especially when used in combination with the evening primrose oil.) If you need to minimize those overly emotional responses due to your body’s hormone changes, then ashwagandha root may be the right stress support supplement for you.
Ashwagandha root is considered safe for most people. However, if you have an autoimmune disease, are pregnant or nursing, or you have Type 1 diabetes, this herb should be avoided. Ashwagandha root can also stabilize hypothyroidism, though it’s recommended you have your doctor monitor your condition if you are using supplements to maintain a healthy thyroid. The recommended dose of ashwagandha root is 450–500 mg once or twice daily.
When I first began taking ashwagandha root, I was purchasing it as a single supplement. However, for the past two months I’ve been getting my daily dose through HempFusion’s Stress Phytocomplex. This supplement blend further aids my stress response and calms anxiety. It also helps to calm some of the symptoms of my fibromyalgia. (This stuff got me through two interviews without breaking a sweat. Seriously.) I not only love that it counteracts many of the symptoms of my perimenopause, but that it also gives me extra energy without the need for caffeine.
The Hemp Fusion capsules contain a unique full-spectrum phytocomplex oil extracted from nutritional hemp, black pepper fruit, and clove oil. This fusion of unique plant extracts includes valuable phytocompounds and terpenes naturally occurring in nutritional hemp and other botanicals and is perfect for occasional stress support in addition to daily Endocannabinoid System support.
I’m currently purchasing this product from ThriveMarket as it allows me to save up to 50% off my favorite brands of herbal supplements everyday. And I earn cashback toward more of my favorite health and wellness products as well as organic pantry staples. Everyone needs to save a little money, right?
If this sounds like something you may be interested in (it’s like a wholesale club for organic health and wellness products) then I encourage you to give them a try. They offer a free trial (that you can easily cancel prior to being billed for a yearly membership) and you get 25% off your first order. I save well over $1500 with them annually.
In addition to taking ashwagandha root for hot flashes and healthy stress support, I also highly recommend a B-complex vitamin and evening primrose oil. I am currently using (and loving!) Thrive Market’s own brand of Food Cultured Vitamin B-Complex with Ginseng along with Jarrow Formula’s Cold Pressed Evening Primrose Oil. I take these three stress support supplements specifically to tackle my own perimenopause with my first meal of each day.
Share Your Experiences.
Do you have experience with perimenopause? Do you have another go to stress support supplement that you take or recommend? I’d love to hear your story on how you tackle your body’s changes! So please feel free to share your personal experience in the comments.
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This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.
About Rebecca D. Dillon