Have you ever known someone who has gracefully danced through menopause without a single
symptom?

I have met many patients over the years that have struggled with an array of
symptoms from hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, hair loss, fatigue and much more. Yet, I have
also visited with many women that did not experience a single symptom other than losing their
menstrual cycle. You might be asking yourself…what is the difference between the two and how
can I experience the latter?

The most important difference here: The health of your adrenals!

While most discussions surrounding menopause focus on hormonal changes in the ovaries, the
role of adrenal health is often overlooked. The health of your adrenal glands is critical for
managing menopausal symptoms and promoting overall well-being during this phase of life.

The Adrenal Connection: The adrenal glands are small but mighty organs that are located
above the kidneys. During menopause, ovarian hormone production declines and the adrenal
glands become more important in supporting hormonal balance. They produce hormones like
cortisol, DHEA and adrenaline. These hormones can help compensate for the reduced
estrogen and progesterone levels. DHEA is a precursor to our sex hormones, which means that
it helps to produce estrogen and testosterone, even after the ovaries have finished their work.

The Impact of Stress: One of the primary functions of the adrenal glands is to respond to
stress. The problem is that when we have chronic, or ongoing stress, it can lead to adrenal
fatigue or dysfunction. This can and will impact our hormone production and can exacerbate
menopausal symptoms. High levels of cortisol, which rises under stress, will negatively impact
our progesterone levels and can interfere with sleep, our mood, and metabolism, making
menopausal symptoms even worse.

What we can do about it:

1. Managing stress becomes paramount in supporting an easier transition into menopause.
Incorporating stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, box-breathing, mindful
breathing exercises, yoga or spending time in nature can help support adrenal function
and improve hormone production.

2. Focus on a whole-food diet, rich in color and loaded with antioxidants. This includes a
wide variety of fruits and vegetables (more vegetables than fruit), lean proteins like
chicken, turkey, white fish and 90% lean beef. Healthy fats are also important here such
as avocados, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, nuts and seeds, eggs and fatty fish.

3. Avoid caffeine, sugar, alcohol and highly processed foods as they can all impact our
adrenal health negatively and can increase menopausal symptoms.

4. Supplementation can be helpful to support the adrenal health during menopause.
Certain vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, magnesium, Zinc and Vitamin C, are
important for adrenal function. Adaptogenic herbs can also be very helpful here.

5. Move your body! Exercise gives you a huge advantage here and will go into more detail
in later blogs. Exercise helps support sleep, libido, adrenal and emotional health.

6. Get 8 hours of sleep a night. For adrenal health, it is most beneficial to be asleep
BEFORE 11pm, and earlier is even better. Anything earlier than that will help keep our circadian rhythm in check and you will wake up feeling much more refreshed. I will be absolutely talking more on
sleep soon as it is paramount in our health journey.

While these lifestyle modifications can offer support to ease menopausal symptoms, I highly
recommend scheduling an appointment with me for personalized guidance. I offer the most
comprehensive functional testing to evaluate sex and stress hormones. The DUTCH
Complete test allows me to evaluate your sex hormones, their metabolism AND adrenal
hormones such as DHEA, Cortisol, Dopamine, Brain Neurotransmitters, Melatonin and
many other markers that pertain to the underlying cause of symptoms. It is my passion to
help women gracefully transition into menopause by using personalized nutrition,
supplementation and lifestyle changes.