Did you know that perimenopause can begin in your 30s? Most people think of menopause as something that happens when you’re approaching 50, but the change in hormones and symptoms often begin much earlier. While the average age of menopause in Australia is 51 years, perimenopause describes the period leading up to menopause and can last anywhere between 2-10 years.

If you’re currently struggling with symptoms, or worried about what this transition might look like for you, there are two important things to keep in mind. First, this phase is temporary – there is light at the other end. Secondly, there are a range of dietary, lifestyle and complementary medicine strategies that can provide symptom relief and support general health and wellbeing throughout this transition. Read on to find out what Women’s Health Supplements might be right for you. 

Menopause is the transition from reproductive to post-reproductive life. It is a time of significant hormone fluctuations which leads to a range of symptoms. The symptom type and severity can vary widely between women. About 20% of women may not experience any symptoms, but for many women, perimenopause and menopause can be a significantly symptomatic time.

Common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause include:

• Menstrual cycle changes – cycle may become shorter or longer or there may be a change in flow
• Hot flushes and night sweats – experienced by up to 75% of menopausal women[1]
• Poor sleep
• Fatigue
• Mood changes and irritability
• Reduced stress resilience
• Vaginal dryness

Dietary and lifestyle strategies to support the menopause transition:

• Include phyto-oestrogenic foods in the diet, including linseeds and soy. Phyto-oestrogens have a weak oestrogenic effect and can help balance out the impact of fluctuating high and low oestrogen levels seen during perimenopause
• Ensure adequate protein intake to help build and maintain muscle mass. The ideal intake increases from 1g of protein per Kg of body weight to 1.2g of protein per Kg of body weight in menopause[2]
• Avoid or limit alcohol and excess sugar, which can help reduce hot flushes[3],[4]
• Get healthy sun exposure, aiming for 15 minutes of exposed skin 3-4 times a week to support vitamin D levels, important for bone health
• Prioritise exercise, especially weight bearing exercises, to support muscle and bone strength
• Maintain a consistent sleep routine and limit caffeine and screentime before bed
• Manage stress levels with breathwork, massage, journaling and maintaining social connections
• Consider herbal medicines that support healthy hormone balance or target specific symptoms

Herbs of Gold top herbal recommendations for women:

Shatavari

Shatavari is known as the “Queen of Ayurvedic Herbs” and has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine for women’s health. The name Shatavari translates to “a woman with a hundred husbands” symbolising vitality and resilience.

SRI-81™ is a proprietary Shatavari extract that is sustainably sourced and manufactured using Green chemistry principals without the use of synthetic solvents. SRI-81™ relieves symptoms of menopause in perimenopausal women including hot flushes, moodiness and fatigue and reduces symptoms of stress.

Saffron

Saffron is a unique herbal medicine that is well-loved for supporting healthy mood balance and relieving mild anxiety. Affron® is a proprietary Saffron extract that is clinically trialled to help support emotional wellbeing and maintain mental wellbeing in perimenopausal women[5].

Fenugreek

Fenugreek seeds are rich in steroidal saponins which are compounds that support healthy female hormone levels. FenuSmart™ is a patented Fenugreek extract standardised to active constituents including total saponins and protodioscin. FenuSmart™ has been shown to support healthy female hormone balance and relieve symptoms of menopause, including hot flushes and sleeplessness, in both perimenopausal and postmenopausal women[6],[7]. 

Herbs of Gold Women’s Health Supplements

Herbs of Gold PeriCare combines SRI-81™ Shatavari with Affron® Saffron and Vitex to relieve symptoms of menopause, support healthy mood balance and regulate healthy menstrual cycles in perimenopausal women. Herbs of Gold MenoEase features FenuSmart™ alongside traditional herbs Sage and Ziziphus to relieve symptoms of menopause including hot flushes, night sweats, sleeplessness, irritability and vaginal dryness.

What happens after menopause?

After the cessation of periods, women enter the phase of life known as postmenopause. Some symptoms can still linger into postmenopause as the body adjusts to new levels of hormones. Rather than symptom relief, the focus tends to move to health maintenance, with a particular focus on maintaining muscle and bone strength. The drop in oestrogen that happens during menopause results in increased bone loss - in fact, a woman loses up to 10% of bone mass in the first five years after menopause[8]. This is why calcium is such an important mineral for postmenopausal women. A diet deficient in calcium can lead to osteoporosis later in life and calcium may help prevent osteoporosis when dietary intake is inadequate. The recommended intake of calcium increases from 1000mg daily for women aged 19-50 to 1300mg daily for women over 50[9].

While calcium is essential for bone strength, it doesn’t work alone. Other nutrients, such as vitamin D and vitamin K2 are equally important for maintaining bone strength. Vitamin D assists the intestinal absorption of calcium and also directly participates in maintaining bone strength. Vitamin K2 helps incorporate calcium into the bones to support bone integrity.

Herbs of Gold Calcium K2 with D3 combines three key nutrients to support bone health and bone strength in postmenopausal women.

Menopause is a transition, not a decline – and the right herbal and nutritional support can make a real difference. Explore our women’s health supplements range to find a targeted option for this life stage.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.