How healing your gut helps you thrive in menopause.
If you’re struggling with menopause symptoms and haven’t taken a good look at your gut health, this is your sign.
While it may seem like your gut and reproductive system have nothing in common, you’ve probably already experienced how these two are linked. You know that annoying bloating or those loose stools that show up right before you get your period? These are some of the more obvious ways your gut and hormones are connected, but recent research shows that there’s not much the microbiome doesn’t affect.
When it comes to menopause, the symptoms may be a bit different, but the connection remains the same. Let’s take a look at how the microbiome impacts menopause and vice versa. Then, learn how you can support your gut to thrive in menopause.
At Moringa Natural Health, we have treatment plans for menopause and hormone imbalance. We personalize each plan according to each person’s unique biological makeup. Want to learn more about our treatment plans? Schedule your free appointment with Dr. Fernandez today!
What is the Microbiome?
Did you know that your body is made up of more bacteria than human cells? It’s true – there are up to 10 times more microorganisms than our own human cells. And most of those microbes live in the gut.
Most gut bacteria are friendly and help our bodies thrive. They support many of our bodily functions, like digestion and building the immune system. Overall, the more diverse and varied our healthy gut bacteria, the healthier we are. 
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to maintain a healthy microbiome. An overgrowth of certain microbes, or the presence of a harmful bacteria population, can easily throw our systems into an imbalanced state called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis not only causes gut trouble but has been linked to a range of chronic health conditions, including hormone imbalances and severe menopause symptoms.
But how can the gut control your mental health, pain levels, or even how much you sleep? The microbiome is intricately linked to your endocrine, nervous, and reproductive systems through various different pathways of communication. An imbalance or stressor in one area will eventually affect the other.
Microbiome & Menopause: What’s the Link?
Hormone imbalances are a natural part of menopause when changes in your reproductive system lead to fluctuating levels of ovarian and pituitary hormones. While these shifts are normal, extreme symptoms are not. If you are experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, pelvic pain, insomnia, anxiety, dryness, or other menopause symptoms that regularly disrupt your daily life, it’s a sign that your body needs help finding its balance.
So, where does your microbiome come into play?
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- The microbiome supports estrogen balance.
Within the microbiome is a special population of bacteria called the estrobolome. These specialized cells help support your estrogen metabolism, so you have just the right amount of estrogen available in your body at any one time. Some of these bacteria produce an enzyme that re-activates deactivated estrogen when levels are low. Unfortunately, dysbiosis reduces these cells, estrogen is not reactivated, and you experience a further drop in estrogen. - The microbiome supports vaginal health.
A healthy gut microbiome is also essential for a healthy vaginal microbiome. When either of these systems falls out of balance, it’s easier for harmful microbes or inflammation to take over. In menopause, this can mean a higher risk of developing bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, vaginal dryness, and UTIs. Even issues like painful sex and urinary issues may start in the gut! - Hormone imbalances can affect the microbiome.
An imbalanced gut is not always the cause of severe menopause symptoms. Sometimes, other issues are at the root of sharp hormone fluctuations. The trouble is, the microbiome-hormone connection is a two-way road. Plummeting hormones can negatively affect a previously healthy microbiome. This starts a vicious cycle of worsening dysbiosis and hormone imbalance (and the symptoms that come with it).
- The microbiome supports estrogen balance.
At Moringa Natural Health, we have treatment plans for menopause and hormone imbalance. We personalize each plan according to each person’s unique biological makeup. Want to learn more about our treatment plans? Schedule your free appointment with Dr. Fernandez today!
3 Ways to Support Your Microbiome in Menopause
Maintaining a healthy microbiome can help you manage irritating menopause symptoms (or even avoid them entirely). Try these tips to experience a smoother transition into your next phase.
- Take a daily probiotic.
Probiotics are live microbes (usually bacteria and yeasts) that support and enhance your gut health. Taking a probiotic daily helps populate your gut with a diverse array of helpful bacteria that support your estrobolome, improve your hormone balance, and ease menopause symptoms. You can also boost your probiotic intake by eating fermented foods, like yogurt, kombucha, or kimchi. - Eat a gut-nourishing diet.
Food can either heal or harm the gut. Avoid foods that destroy healthy gut bacteria or promote harmful microbes (like refined sugar, refined grains, processed foods, fried foods, saturated fat, and food additives).
Focus on gut-healthy foods like fresh produce, whole grains, and healthy fats. Be sure to eat foods with prebiotics and fiber to feed your microbiome. Finally, work in lots of foods that support women’s health. These foods give your body the nutrients it needs to restore your hormone balance. - Consider natural alternatives to hormone therapy.
Many women turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to manage their menopause symptoms. While it works for some, others want a more natural option. Bio-identical hormone therapy uses plant compounds to create hormone preparations that act similarly to human hormones. This approach gives your body a chance to adjust to a new balance, so symptoms resolve on their own (and without the side effects of HRT).
Heal Your Gut, Thrive in Menopause
The secret to thriving in your second spring could lie in your gut. Call us at 623-266-0059 or click here to request an appointment and find out how natural therapies like nutrition therapy, gut health support, and bio-identical hormone therapy can help you put an end to frustrating menopause symptoms.
Much love,
Dr. Lena Fernandez
