natural plant oestrogens.....?

Hi All

I'm in my mid 40's & starting to think about menopause (ie: what can I do to ensure that I get through it as smoothly as possible - oh the joys of being female  LOL).  I've read that if I eat plenty of natural plant oestrogens it may help to combat some of the symptoms. The same article states that plant oestrogens can be found in soya, tofu & lentils & herein lies the problem - I loath tofu, only rarely eat lentils (mostly in curries - if at all) and don't fancy the idea of changing my milk or yoghurts for soya type replacements as I thought ladies needed more calcium as they got older.

Anyone got any other ideas re sourcing plant oestrogen in foods?  What foods are high in natural plant oestrogens?

What views have you got for replacing milk & yoghurt for soya milk & soya yoghurt?  I'm in UK so if you've got any fave brands then please keep this in mind.  If I must replace milk & yoghurt with soya replacements do you have any ideas about calcium rich foods (apart from cheese).

right ho calorie count buddies - here is your task!  can't wait to hear from you.

Plant estrogens, like all estrogens, increase the growth of breast cancer, as well as other "female" cancers (cervical, uterine, ovarian).  It won't increase your RISK of contracting those cancers, but if you already have them, it'll make it worse.  Be absolutely sure you don't have any of these tumors before you start supplementing with estrogen of any kind.

Unfortunately, I can't think of any other sources of phytoestradiol than soy, though the upside is there are a lot of soy milks and other soy replacements that have calcium added to them.  Check the labels, but I'm betting most brands have a "calcium-enriched" version.  Just like most orange juice has extra vitamin C these days.

Best of luck!  Menopause isn't fun, that's for sure - but remember, it's a natural part of your body's maturation cycle (just like cramps are a natural part of menstruation) so try not to worry about it too much :)

OP--hi--im a registered nutritional consultant and one of the plant estrogens i recommend for perimenopause is flax.  It will give you some valuable omega 3 fatty acids and it is has definite estrogenic properties.  You will want to take about 2 tblsp. of ground flax daily.  You can add it to cereal, yogurt or whatever you like.

Original Post by vicgirl:

OP--hi--im a registered nutritional consultant and one of the plant estrogens i recommend for perimenopause is flax.  It will give you some valuable omega 3 fatty acids and it is has definite estrogenic properties.  You will want to take about 2 tblsp. of ground flax daily.  You can add it to cereal, yogurt or whatever you like.

It has been proven that flax does not help with symptoms 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/482474-does -flaxseed-oil-work-for-menopausal-symptoms/

but having milled flax seed is beneficial for other reasons.

I've been menopausal 2 years and did take a HRT for about a year and then just quit cause I still had the night sweats and insomnia - never really had bad hot flashes.  I exercise regularly and think this is the best most "natural" reliever of the symptoms, plus eating 'clean" - I steer away from processed foods and rarely go out to eat I don't eat anything "white" ( sugar, rice, potato, flour) I also stay clear of wheat products, not because of gluten, just its still a little "white".  

Since I started weight lifting ( heavy) and doing intense workouts I feel completely normal and although I still have chronic insomnia ( had it for years before I was even perimenopausal) and I also have the night sweats the occurances aren't nearly as bad.  I have a co worker who has about 10 hot flashes a day at work she won't do the HRT either she said it hurt her boobs.  She doesn't exercise and she doesn't eat well, is a bit overweight I keep telling her go for walks, eat better more balanced meals and stay away from the starbucks but oh well.  she gets to suffer while I get to be happy in not dealing with that monthly nightmare!!

I have another coworker who had to have a complete hysterectomy includes tubes and ovaries she does some kind of subdermal implant compounded "natural" medicine. She swears by that, but I still think any hormone added to the body in an unusual way is not very safe in the long run.  I guess maybe using a replacement of some sort for awhile over the initial hump might not hurt but I think long term use is asking for trouble.

Original Post by dbackerfan: I still think any hormone added to the body in an unusual way is not very safe in the long run.  I guess maybe using a replacement of some sort for awhile over the initial hump might not hurt but I think long term use is asking for trouble.

I HUGELY agree with this.  Your body goes through menopause because it's normal - helping yourself through the transition is fine, but people who promote lifetime hormone replacement are just messing around with nature.

Actually natural progesterone has been shown to be protective against breast cancer. I just interviewed one of Canada's top endocrinologists who specialises in treating osteoporosis and she recommended that women take natural progesterone till they drop!!  She said she feels 100% certain that it is completely safe and it does help many women deal with perimenopause and menopausal symptoms.  Why suffer needlessly? AS for flax---it will not mitigate all symptoms but i hear from MANY women that it has helped them a bit. Sage, red clover, Femal, and black cohosh are other things that have helped some women.  We're all individuals and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another--you have to experiment. 

Progesterone and estrogen are two different hormones.  Otherwise I agree with you.

Well that's rather obvious isn't it?  BTW estriol--the weaker type of estrogen has not been shown to be harmful---i often tell women to use biest and to have it made 60-40---(60% estriol and 40 % estradiol)---this is much safer and can be used for the short term to help women who are battling severe symptoms. 

 The other thing with both perimenopause and menopause is that a lot of women start experiencing problems with their thyroid.  Vitamin D helps with the optimal functioning of the thyroid--so it's essential to take sufficient amounts of D.  I recommend a minimum of 1000ius per day.