Understanding Menopause: Navigating the Midlife Transition

Welcome to another episode of the Perfectly Pl@nted Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the often-overlooked topic of menopause, shedding light on the physical, mental, and emotional changes women experience during this significant midlife transition.

Join us as we provide a high-level overview of menopause, discussing the different stages from perimenopause to post menopause. Dr. Bascom explains the crucial role of estrogen and its impact on various body systems, and offers practical tips for managing common symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Key discussion points include:

• The definition and stages of menopause.
• The importance of estrogen and its effects on brain, heart, and bone health.
• Common symptoms of declining estrogen levels and their management.
• The impact of lifestyle choices, including diet and alcohol consumption, on menopause symptoms.
• The benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet and specific foods like soybeans in alleviating menopause symptoms.
• Recommendations for supplements that can support women's health during midlife.

Be sure to subscribe, share this episode with friends and family, and leave us your feedback. Join us in our next episode as we dive deeper into nutrition and the microbiome's role in menopause.

Links:

• Join Daphne's Menopause Mastery Program at The Vegan Gym
• Read the WAVS study on soybeans and menopause

Thank you for listening and being part of our community. Stay well and plant-powered!

Keywords: menopause, perimenopause, postmenopause, estrogen, hot flashes, night sweats, plant-based diet, nutrition, supplements, women's health, midlife transition, Menopause Mastery Program.

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Transcript

Understanding Menopause and Hormonal Changes

Speaker 1 0:00

Thank you. Welcome to Perfectly Planted Podcast, where we are dedicated to growing with you on our journey towards a healthier, happier and more sustainable lifestyle. I'm your co-host, vesameh Sherring, a health and wellness enthusiast and loving all things plant-based. Whether you're a seasoned vegan or just dipping your toes into plant-based living, or just curious about a healthier lifestyle, you're in the right place. Daphne, good morning, how are you?

Speaker 2 0:31

Good morning Bessamay. How are you? I'm doing well.

Speaker 1 0:34

Good. So, daphne, you have been my coach and mentor for many years. We've said that multiple times, and this podcast episode stems from many conversations we've had around a topic most women know little to nothing about. It's menopause. I find it really shocking and mind-boggling that in your adolescent years, you learn about reproductive system, you learn about your body changing. You learn about all of these different things. Yet once we pass adulthood, maybe have children, maybe not. It's a mute point, and so we're going to dive in into a series where we will really focus on these midlife changes, specifically menopause, because there is really just so much to cover from what you and I have chatted about. So today, our goal is to provide you with a high-level overview of menopause and also give some tips for navigating the menopause journey, because in the next several episodes we'll take really a deep dive into some of the topics, like nutrition, supplements and biohacking. So I say, let's get to it. What do you say?

Speaker 2 1:57

Let's go.

Speaker 1 1:58

So, daphne, menopause is a point when you no longer have menstrual periods. That's the definition. But the transition into menopause and the years after menopause also are associated with really significant physical, mental and emotional changes. So would you mind just sharing more about the different stages? And I think what I found was menopause, and I think everybody will find it shocking menopause is really one day.

Speaker 2 2:29

So, vesame, thank you, and thank you for encouraging us to have this conversation, because women's health is so important and to your point. I've been thinking about this as kind of the four Ps, where we talk about periods and we all talked about that in middle school, high school. We learn a lot about pregnancy. So when you were pregnant with your boys, you probably knew pregnancy back and forth. But when it comes to perimenopause and postmenopause, we really don't have conversations. It's like we stop thinking about women's health after the pregnancy conversation occurs.

Speaker 2 3:14

But we are born with all of the eggs in our ovaries that we'll release in our lifetime. And that release of eggs and it's not a single egg, it's actually kind of a burst of eggs that happens every time we ovulate. As we kind of lose the number of eggs that will be released, month over month, our estrogen levels start to decline. So during our lifetime you know, during our the time when we're menstruating and the time when we're pregnant our hormones are never 100% stable and we don't have a lot of time to go through the hormonal changes that occur during menstruation and we can talk about that as a separate podcast.

Speaker 2 4:03

But when women hit their late 30s, early 40s, we actually enter a period called perimenopause, and peri means aroundause, is defined as when you have not had a menstrual cycle for a 12 month period. So you go 12 months and when you hit that 12 month magical day you're menopause. But that period, that time leading up to that final menstrual period, leading up to that final menstrual period, you can have a period every month, a period every two months. I had a woman who messaged me she's like I went six months and then it came, so the clock restart. But that 12 month period is that 12 months in time when you have no menstruation. That day, when you've hit that 12-month mark, is what's defined as menopause. And that is not the end. That is really just a point in time.

The Importance of Estrogen

Speaker 1 5:23

Yeah, that's fascinating how it has to be those consecutive 12 months or the clock restarts. It's kind of like, oh so disappointing, let's start this over again. So there's a fluctuation in hormones, right, and essentially, really the decline in the estrogen and progesterone is what throws us all off. So let's just how about we talk a little bit more about the importance of estrogen I know you and I were just chatting about it and what's the impact of that decline on our overall health? Because I think that's what's so important and I think what happens is with lifestyle, we try to mask a lot of it with various, various ways.

Speaker 2 6:14

So estrogen is an amazing hormone, and there, first of all, estrogen is not one hormone. There are three variants. There is we call E1, e2, e3, estrone, estradiol Estradiol is the form of estrogen that most people think of when they say estrogen. And there's also estriol, which is the form of estrogen that predominates during pregnancy, and estrone, or E1, is the form of estrogen that is predominant kind of in the postmenopausal period. But every cell in our body has estrogen receptors. So when we're thinking about the impact of the decline in estrogen and it's not that our estrogen goes to zero, it's that we no longer have the high levels of estrogen that occur prior to menopause it impacts your brain, it impacts your heart, it impacts your bone. Estrogen is a very potent anti-inflammatory hormone, and so it has effects on every single body system when those levels start to decline.

Hot Flashes

Speaker 1 7:29

So I never realized the impact our lives would have on that and I guess, speaking of health, everything is impacted during menopause. I know that the number one thing associated and I'm going to call it a thing associated with menopause is hot flashes. That's like the number one trigger everybody can associate with. Everybody loves this topic, right? So when someone uses the term hot flash, they're not going to be able to tell you what's going on. They're not going to be able to tell you. I would like to know, like, what's happening in the body? What is it? Is it just a side? Is it something that's a byproduct of that reduced estrogen, or what specifically is going on?

Speaker 2 8:29

And first of all, for all the women and men listening, there are many common symptoms of low estrogen. I would probably say if you look in the literature, there's probably over 40 different symptoms that women may manifest as their estrogen levels start to decline. So hot flashes and night sweats are the manifestations of low estrogen that most people are familiar with, and men who are going through hormonal therapy for different types of cancer. They may actually it best that the night sweats and the hot flashes are. They actually originate in your brain. They don't originate externally in your body.

Speaker 2 9:16

And for women who've ever had one, I mean I feel like sometimes there's a thermonuclear reaction because I can feel this central heat building and it just starts to permeate all throughout your body. Then you start to sweat. But it really has to do with the thermoregulatory set point and that is really brain mediated. It's not peripherally mediated. Peripherally mediated. So it's a manifestation of the decline in estrogen and how your brain is now regulating your body's temperature set point. That can trigger these nuclear reactions, which is probably not the best way to describe them. But so hot flashes and night sweats are a common symptom that women may manifest during perimenopause and postmenopause, but there are probably 30, plus other types of symptoms that are also valid for different women as they're going through this midlife change.

Speaker 1 10:34

I would have never thought it was the brain signaling to start rebalancing because of the reduction of a hormone. It makes sense. But also is I'm just curious and you don't have to answer this Daphne that you know is there a way to manage that? Because I feel as though hot flashes can also trigger, I know. I'll just say I know for me, at night I will feel this, this you know, internal the nuclear receptor here coming out of me, just nuclear reaction If I drink wine.

Speaker 2 11:12

Oh. So that's a great point and some women actually share that their symptoms are exacerbated when they drink alcohol. So I'll touch on a couple of things. Not solicited Alcohol in moderation.

Speaker 2 11:38

I'm glad we can edit this. There is no safe lower limit for alcohol consumption. So, while having the occasional glass of wine is okay, if you are thinking about what levers you can pull to optimize your health long-term and yes, there's going to be the people who say, well, the red wine has the resveratrol or you get these antioxidant properties. There's going to be data back and forth, but if you look at the data and if you follow the recommendations from the World Health Organization, there is no safe lower limit for how much alcohol we should be consuming. So if you know that your symptoms are worsened by alcohol consumption, I would highly encourage you to have a non-alcoholic beverage as that thing that you use at parties, if you want to carry something around or even find a substitute for your wind down time at night, whether it's a chamomile tea, a peppermint tea, but it doesn't have to be alcohol.

Benefits of Eating More Plants

Speaker 1 12:44

That's kind of Daphne's public service message number one our female age group, that we're not going to, we're not associating what we've consumed as a means of okay, later I'm going to feel, I mean, maybe we do. We're going to feel this in many ways, but I'm not talking about alcohol, because, yes, you know there's other. You know you're going to feel it. I'm talking about what some of the things that we eat also. So I have noticed shifting myself to being more plant-based. If I do have any animal protein, I have the same impact as I would as a glass of wine. So let's talk a little bit more about managing these changes in our body. And I know we're going to get into nutrition later, but I understand that you know I and I've felt it that whole food, plant-based nutrition is really best, um, and so I want to get your thoughts on that, and then maybe we could talk a little bit about supplements or vitamins that you know that my friends and family members can try to help manage this a little bit more.

Speaker 2 14:18

So, and for full disclosure, I know everyone who follows Perfectly Planted probably knows that we both follow a plant-forward diet.

Speaker 2 14:29

So I'm vegan.

Speaker 2 14:41

I choose to not eat animal products, both from a health perspective your midlife symptoms and we're focusing on menopause but also from the perspective of improving your overall health, that a plant-predominant way of eating is the best way to fuel your body.

Speaker 2 15:05

And I'm saying plant predominant because I don't want anyone to feel that I love the thought of adding things as opposed to removing them. So if you're crowding your plate with plants, maybe the animal protein gets smaller and over time it can reduce to zero. But adding more plants to your plate is the way to navigate both menopause and also to reduce your risk of other chronic diseases. And Dr Hana Kalihova, who were the PIs on the study, demonstrated that adding a half a cup of soybeans a day and these are cooked soybeans, so getting the bean, putting it in your Instant Pot, cooking it up, maybe adding it to soups or salads, or air frying the soybeans and using them as a crunchy topping on your salads the soybeans can have a significant impact on mitigating both hot flashes and night sweats in the women who are part of that study.

Speaker 2 16:15

Half a cup, half a cup of soybeans a day, yep, and it's the mediator. You know, the mechanism of action is probably related to the plant-based estrogens, the phytoestrogens that are in soybeans. So there are a whole host of foods that are phytoestrogens, meaning that they have their plant-based based they are plant-derived, but that they can bind to estrogen receptors and act as either agonist to those receptors so they act like estrogen, or antagonist, meaning they block the binding of estrogen to those cells. But soybeans are a food-based way of helping alleviate some of your symptoms.

Speaker 1 17:09

I'm going to go buy some today at the grocery store.

Speaker 2 17:13

We can. I have a link that we can share to some organic soybeans that you can buy off Amazon. Not all grocery stores sell them, so if you can't find them in your local grocery store, Mr Bezos can definitely deliver them to your door.

Speaker 1 17:30

Okay, yes, let's do that and not edamame.

Speaker 2 17:34

So okay, good point, the study. If you and we can put a link to the WAVE study in the show notes too, the study was done with the whole soybean I would encourage if you can't get access to soybean. I've had women, so I'm part, you know, through the vegan gym. I've been delivering a menopause mastery course, and so I get to hear a lot of feedback from women who are implementing a lot of these lifestyle recommendations. So women who have added edamame soy milk. You know the phytoestrogens the soybeans were what was tested in the study, but I would encourage you to introduce any of those isoflavones, which is the, you know, is the type of plant-based estrogen that the soybeans have as part of a healthy, well-balanced, plant predominant diet.

Speaker 1 18:34

Yeah, I love that. So what about supplements, or would you? I know that we keep talking about whole food, plant-based, but there are so many supplements out on the market. I would love your thoughts on that.

Supplements

Speaker 2 18:51

So I'm going to divide supplements into supplements that I would recommend women take, and then supplements that may be marketed for alleviating some of the symptoms of menopause. Okay, for alleviating some of the symptoms of menopause. Okay so and we've probably touched on these in prior podcasts before If you're plant-based or if you're over 50, you want to think about supplementing with vitamin B12. And I'm saying that for if you're over 50, because there are data to suggest that our absorption of vitamin B12 declines over age 50. So women should think about vitamin B12, vitamin D, making sure that you're eating either whole foods or preferably whole foods, but if you're not getting enough through your whole foods, thinking about a calcium supplement. And then I also highly recommend creatine. So B12, vitamin D, maybe adding vitamin K2 to help with the absorption of your vitamin D, calcium, either through whole foods or supplements Although I really recommend the whole foods and then creatine.

Speaker 1 20:06

I'm sorry, Daphne, go ahead. No, you go ahead. When you talk about calcium, the immediate reaction that everybody has is milk.

Speaker 2 20:13

No, so you can find. First of all, there are many foods where you can your greens. You can get calcium through your nutrition, and I would. So I track my nutrition and chronometer. If you don't know how much calcium you're getting in what you eat today, I would highly encourage you track your food for three to five days or a week and just see what the balance of micronutrients that you're getting, and I probably may even include your omegas in there. But you don't know what you're taking in. You can't manage what you don't measure. So, first of all, dairy milk is not the only source of calcium. You can get calcium fortified plant milks. You can get calcium through whole foods. Those are my best recommendations. It does not have to be dairy milk.

Speaker 2 21:34

The now the other supplements so you're through midlife where you have this concoction of supplements, adaptogens that are meant to alleviate the symptoms of menopause. The data are mixed is to the benefits of any of those supplements for a population of women, and so to me it's bio-individual at this point whether I mean I've tried black cohosh, I've tried many of the over-the-counter supplements to help with my personal menopause symptoms, but I really found that my nutrition was probably the best thing I could do and not pay for something that wasn't working. The supplement industry is also not regulated, so there's no guarantee that what is listed on the bottle is what is actually what's in the pill or the powder that you're either taking or putting in your smoothie or mixing in water. So there, yes, there's a. There are many things that if you go into Sprouts, you're going to GNC, you're going to your local grocery store, you'll see a whole host of supplements to say that this will help with menopause. I would say be cautious, what you're putting in your body.

Speaker 1 22:59

I agree.

Speaker 1 23:00

This is all such good stuff.

Speaker 1 23:02

Daphne, I'm so grateful for your knowledge and for your knowledge share, because I think that it's a topic and we're just grazing the tippy top surface right now.

Summary

Speaker 1 23:13

I know we talked a lot about estrogen. We've talked a lot about just hormones in general, what menopause really is and that duration 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle and we've talked about the importance of, you know, whole food, plant-based nutrition, in order to help your body and age your body as we continue to age and into better, you know, healthier people. So not just to manage our hormone fluctuations and changes and midlife changes, like we say, but also, you know, as we, as for chronic conditions too. So we're trying to eliminate the diabetes, the cancers, the heart diseases and others. So in our next episode, I know we're going to cover a little bit more about nutrition and graze the surface of the microbiome, because that's extremely important and we really do hope that all of you, our listeners and viewers, will return to learn more about that. We also want to hear any feedback, any additional topics that you would like to add to our discussion, because this is going to be a multi-episode series.

Speaker 2 24:32

Esme, thank you, and I can't wait for whatever questions you have in store for me for our next episode. Well, it'll be a lot.

Speaker 1 24:43

Thank you to all our listeners and viewers. Really, please continue to share your podcast with your friends and family and those you love. If you enjoy this podcast also, please subscribe or save it to your favorites. You can also be sure to hit the like button as we continue to create more content so we understand what you enjoy. And if you want to learn more about menopause, really, please do join Daphne's menopause mastery program at the vegan gym. We will be able to leave a link in the description box, and we so appreciate you all. Thank you all, be well.