Perimenopause remedies

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LouFoulstone

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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Hi there!
I’ve been a diabetic since March 1998 - I’ve been in various tablets and have now been insulin for 2 years… I’ve managed to reduce my HBA1C from 119 to 56 with the help of specialists.
I’m currently undergoing some challenges around the menopause and wondering what herbal remedies would be best for me to try to help with stress without it affecting my sugar levels. I want to steer clear from HRT due to cancer in my family.
If you have any thoughts, I’d be really grateful, thank you!
 
Honestly, I don't think any of the herbal remedies do any good at all. The best they can do is act as a placebo maybe but nothing can replace your actual hormones..............other than actual hormones. I've tried (and wasted money on) just about every single herbal remedy out there and they are all useless :(

Speak to a menopause specialist, rather than just your GP. They have all the latest data available to them that your GP may not have access to. For instance, there is no evidence to suggest your cancer risk increases with HRT and there is no reason to stop HRT after a given timeline (it used to be five years).
 
I have also tried the usual natural remedies like Black Cohosh, Red Clover and 5HTP etc and probably wasted a considerable amount of money with little or no gain.

HRT has been a revelation for me. I can get by with one patch a week, whereas the dose is 2 patches a week, with no side effects whatsoever and massive benefits. I really wish I hadn't battled without them for 5 years before I asked. The benefits were instant from the day after applying a patch at night and there were unforeseen benefits like I can sleep right through the night, every night, without needing the loo and I sleep really, really well now that the hot flushes have stopped and I don't feel like I am going to faint at inconvenient times of the day due to the hot flushes.
It blows my mind that that little clear plastic patch on my hip can make such a monumental difference to my quality of life!
 
Well done on your HBA1C reduction.
I am sorry to read about your family history of cancer which i understand will always be at the back of your mind.

In my experience, the best peri/meni non-HRT treatment is exercise.
All the women I know of a similar age who exercise regularly have suffered far less than those who do little or no exercise.
This does not have to be running a marathon or doing a full gym workout. It could be a daily walk or jiggle in the kitchen listening to the radio while you are cooking.

If you do little exercise today and are taking insulin. be aware that it may make you more insulin sensitive so be prepared to lower your dose (and keep hypo treatment close to hand during and after exercise).
 
helli said:
In my experience, the best peri/meni non-HRT treatment is exercise.
All the women I know of a similar age who exercise regularly have suffered far less than those who do little or no exercise.
This does not have to be running a marathon or doing a full gym workout. It could be a daily walk or jiggle in the kitchen listening to the radio while you are cooking.
Click to expand...
Yes, I would certainly agree that exercise helps enormously and I can definitely say my symptoms are reduced on the days I swim or run. However, if your symptoms are really bad (like mine), they won't go away permanently, even with lots of exercise. Only HRT helped me.

To be honest, exercise just makes you feel sooooo much better in general, even without the menopause :D
 
I’m not sure I agree with that @helli Before I started HRT, I developed horrible anxiety. It was really, really strange and very unlike me. I thought at first it was psychological or some subconscious worries affecting me, but within a week or two of the HRT, it stopped. Not improved, it actually stopped, like someone turning off a switch.

I eat well, I exercise daily and am very active. None of that stopped the horrible anxiety that came upon me. I honestly didn’t understand it until I experienced it myself. It made me feel not like me; it made me weirdly nervous of doing everyday things I’d done thousands of times before - so strange.

Some women sail through the perimenopause and menopause with no problems, but others don’t. This is just luck and nothing to do with doing or not doing things IMO. Obviously, living healthily is a good thing, but no-one can predict how hormonal changes will affect them.
 
Please be aware that black cohosh can cause liver damage even at low doses. Red clover interacts with other meds so double check before taking it. Some people take soya supplements as it sort of mimics oestrogen but I don’t know how effective it is.

I’m on HRT patches and love them. They’re a much lower dose than tablets so safer if you have contraindications. My cousin whose mum died after breast cancer has been able to use patches safely fwiw.
 
I must have gone through menopause, but never actually noticed.
Some time later I found that soya yoghurt acts like hormonal treatment - it restarted my cycle, so I switched to dairy and had no further trouble.
 
Welcome to the forum @LouFoulstone

Unsurprisingly I can’t really offer any pearls of wisdom about the menopause, but I just wanted to wish you all the best with finding a method of managing your symptoms.

And to say huge congratulations on your amazing HbA1c reduction!
 
I echo what Inka said, although I do sometimes get anxious. Using HRT patches and taking oral progesterone has been a game changer for me. I started on them when I was 42. I genuinely thought I was losing my mind. I did try several natural remedies but have found that I spent a lot of money for little improvement.

I have also found that eating much lower carbs - focus on high protein and high fat has really helped me. I have way more energy and my blood sugar control is much more stable. I no longer drink alcohol and I don't have much in the way of sugar. I also find some of the Willpowders supplements have helped me - I take MCT oil in the morning and I use the brain powders sachets - half at a time - to give me focus and energy when I'm struggling with brain fog or lacking in energy. I also take collagen which has really helped my joints and brittle nails. I take magnesium glycinate twice a day (morning and lunchtime) and this has helped with poor sleep and anxiety.
 
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