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Overview
Plant-based natural hormone replacements include foods and plants that provide phytoestrogens, which are similar to estrogen and can help you reduce the unpleasant symptoms of menopause: night sweats, mood swings, difficulty sleeping and weight gain. In a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, the use of synthetic hormones was correlated with an increase for breast cancer and heart disease. Researchers then halted the five-year study in 2002. Many women now seek non-synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone. Foods such as tofu, carrots, alfalfa and flax seed provide phytoestrogens; women also can apply wild yam creams to boost estrogen absorption.
Identification
Plant-based sources of estrogen include foods that have phytoestrogens: soybean, beets, carrots, alfalfa, flax seed, eggs and dairy foods.
Progesterone creams often include wild yams, which you can use if your doctor has determined that your progesterone levels are too low.
Women also seek adjunct therapies such as acupuncture and the use of Chinese herbs such as black cohosh and buplerum for reducing menopausal symptoms.
Significance
By consuming estrogenic foods, applying wild yam creams and using Chinese herbs, you can layer different sources of estrogen and progesterone.
By doing so, you stand a better chance of reducing or even eliminating the weight gain, mood swings, irregular sleep and loss of sex drive that can occur during menopause, when estrogen and progesterone levels decline.
Risks of Using Synthetic Hormones
Synthetic forms of progesterone include progestin, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares and is typically found in the pharmaceutical Premarin. By not using such drugs, you may reduce your risk of heart disease and breast cancer.
In fact, according to the NIH, women in the Women's Health Initiative Study showed a 29 percent increased risk for heart disease and a 26 percent increased risk for breast cancer if they used synthetic sources of estrogen and progesterone.
Considerations
Some doctors still recommend conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to some patients if they believe it is the best course, but only for the shortest amount of time possible and at the lowest possible dose.
As each woman has different menopausal symptoms, you should have your current levels of estrogen and progesterone tested through saliva or blood tests before determining what options to pursue.
Misconceptions
Some people believe that integrative medicine in the form of nutrition, acupuncture and herbal medicine is somehow automatically safer and gentler than pharmaceutical drug therapy. While natural therapies generally have fewer side effects, you can be allergic to a certain food or herb.
Work with an integrative medical professional who is well versed in using herbs and applying nutrition for menopausal relief.
