Coleen Barnes' days were marked by unbearable hot flashes and fatigue, and her nights were filled with tossing and turning. Although she exercised regularly and thought she ate well, Barnes, 55, wanted more information on how to manage her menopause symptoms without taking artificial hormones.
After consulting with licensed nutritionist Darlene Kvist, director of Nutritional Weight and Wellness in St. Paul, she revamped her eating habits and started using magnesium and commercially available progesterone cream.
"I saw results within a couple weeks," said the former Bloomington resident, who now lives in Wisconsin. "I could tell I just felt better overall. I had more energy and was sleeping better." Her hot flashes subsided, she lost 35 pounds and her blood pressure went from high to healthy.
Barnes is one of many women using nutrition to reduce symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, the years leading up to a woman's last period when hormone levels begin to change and symptoms can begin.
"This population of boomers is very interested in nutrition, exercise and supplements -- they bring these things up on their own," said Sandy Greenquist, director of the Menopause Center of Minnesota, nurse midwife and certified menopause clinician. "Yesterday a woman asked me, 'Are there foods I should be eating that would be helpful to me?' It's a very popular topic at the center."
Some women with mild symptoms have been able to manage them through better nutrition, Greenquist said. But if symptoms become too intense or if women have other long-term health concerns, hormone replacement therapy may be appropriate, she added.
Even women who choose hormone replacement therapy will probably find they need less of it if they are also eating right, exercising and using supplements. "I can't give you hormones and make you feel good unless you're also taking care of yourself," Greenquist said.
There's no solid evidence that nutrition is helpful for menopause, said June LaValleur, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at the University of Minnesota. However, LaValleur agrees that while women with intense symptoms may need hormone therapy, eating right and exercising may also reduce symptoms and is important for all women. For example, she said many women are deficient in vitamin D, which may contribute to aches and pains, sleeplessness and low mood.