There are a couple of different theories about why women experience cramps during perimenopause, but they're both linked to estrogen surges. Surprised? Many people are because they assume that what's happening during perimenopause has to do with their body producing less and less estrogen rather than more. Perimenopause cramps and other symptoms, though, along with some hormonal tests, show that this isn't always true.
What is actually happening during perimenopause is a gradual decline in estrogen with some unpredictable surges thrown in. If you were to create a daily chart of the estrogen levels in a perimenopausal woman's blood over a year, the chart would most likely have a downward trend with some spikes where the estrogen levels increase. Plus, sometimes when estrogen levels don't actually increase, the sudden drop in progesterone, the hormone that balances the effects of estrogen, can cause estrogen-surge-like effects in the body.
Back to those two cramp theories. The first theory says that even though your body isn't ovulating on a regular basis during perimenopause, it's still following a loose pattern based on your menstrual cycle. During the first part of your normal menstrual cycle, you would experience high levels of estrogen and cramps, so now you do the same thing, even though you may not experience any bleeding. The second theory says that estrogen surges are unpredictable but that they can cause a symptom that isn't exactly like menstrual cramps but that feels quite similar to them; some women describe it as a heavy feeling in the pelvic area.
What Can You Do To Get Relief in Perimenopause?
Your first reaction to these cramps might be the same reaction you had during PMS and menstruation ten years ago: reach for the pain killers. While over-the-counter pain killers can certainly help, an ounce of prevention, as they say, is worth a pound of cure. There is one natural substance that has been proven to reduce perimenopausal symptoms, including cramps, for most women: phytoestrogens.
These substances are chemicals found in plants that can act like estrogen in the body but that don't have as much effect. Think of them as Estrogen Lite. When they're in your body, they can sometimes block the effect of estrogen overload by binding with your brain's estrogen receptors, which read them as "lighter" signals and which are then blocked from binding with the heavier estrogen that your body actually produces.
Where to Get Phytoestrogens
While you can take many phytoestrogen-rich substances in pill form, the most effective way to get them is through your diet. There are several phytoestrogen-rich foods that are easy to incorporate into your diet, including flaxseed, soy, lentils, tomatoes, and apples. Luckily, all these foods also happen to be excellent additions to a healthy diet in general. Flaxseed: You can get flaxseed in many forms. Use whole seeds in homemade breads and muffins for a crunchy texture, or incorporate ground flax seeds into these same homemade treats to disguise them altogether. You can also buy flax seed oil, which is easily incorporated into smoothies and other beverages. Soy: While you should use this food in small servings, it can be a great addition to your diet. Use softer varieties in smoothies, and use the firmer varieties as a meat substitute in soups and stir fried dishes. Lentils: These tasty legumes are great in soups of all sorts, and they can be used as a side dish to add some healthy, plant-based bulk to just about any meal. Tomatoes: Slice them onto a sandwich, cook them into a sauce, or dump them into a stew. Tomatoes are a great addition to hundreds of dishes, so it's an easy task to incorporate these phytoestrogen-rich veggies into your diet. Apples: Again, these are easy to incorporate into any diet. They can be used in smoothies or baked goods, or you can just keep them around for a quick afternoon snack.
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