Menopause and perimenopause bring a range of challenging symptoms.
Menopause and perimenopause come with a wide variety of symptoms and can amount to a difficult time of transition for many women.
Symptoms are largely caused by the rise and fall of the sex hormone oestrogen in the body during perimenopause, and the drop in oestrogen after menopause.
As oestrogen helps regulate the reproductive, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as woking on brain function, skin, hair and mucous membranes, and the tissues of our urinary tract and genital tract - the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause can be far reaching.
These symptoms can manifest in many well documented ways, such as irregular periods, hot flushes, weight gain, bloating, headaches, sensitive breasts, fatigue, skin issues, mood swings and difficulty sleeping.
There are also many lesser known symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, which include joint stiffness, muscle pain, chronic stress, brain fog, memory loss, hair thinning, gum problems, itchiness, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, lower immune function leading to being sick more often, UTI and bladder issues, and a number of gut-related problems causing indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea and gas.
But menopause symptoms, sometimes referred to as menopausal syndrome (MPS), don’t just affect quality of life, with studies linking the likes of hot flushes, night sweats and decreasing bone density to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity, with the length of exposure to oestrogen also being connected to increased risk of developing cancers including breast cancer.
How is the gut microbiome involved?
While ways to tackle individual symptoms of menopause and perimenopause have been given much air time, a topic that has been less explored until recently, is the gut’s connection to so many of these symptoms, and in particular how the gut microbiome – which is made up of trillions of microscopic organisms called microbes, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms, plays a role in the metabolism and circulation levels of oestrogen.
As more studies start to appear on how the oestrogen-gut microbiome axis could be linked to perimenopause and menopause, we look into how better gut health could help reduce some of the symptoms.
Firstly, we need to understand the estrobolome
The estrobolome is a collection of microorganisms, including bacteria in the gut, that can help regulate how much oestrogen is circulating the body, this is done by breaking down oestrogen into a form in which it can exit the body, if this isn’t done properly by a healthy estrobolome, the oestrogen is fed back into circulation causing surges of the hormone - an oestrogen imbalance which can cause symptoms.
Equally, when the production of oestrogen is in decline, specifically in menopause, microbes can secrete an enzyme that ‘recycles’ oestrogen to it’s active form rather than it being lost through excretion.
And the relationship goes both ways…
While the gut microbiome helps control the amount of oestrogen circulating the body, a systematic review of previous scientific studies by the Universities of Bath and Arizona confirms that reversely, the amount of oestrogen being produced by the ovaries can impact the make up of the gut microbiome.
During perimenopause, there is a change in the amount of oestrogen that is produced by the ovaries, and research, including a 2022 study by the Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, shows the fluctuations in oestrogen, specifically caused by menopausal syndrome, affect the gut microbiome by disrupting the normal interactions it carries out, and in turn this upsets it’s composition. This microbiome dysbiosis can result in increased numbers of harmful bacteria and the lowering of beneficial bacteria.
According to a collaborative study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, a decline in sex hormones during menopause can also impact the gut’s permeability, this alongside increased inflammation can lead to digestion issues such as bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.
But it’s not just digestive health…
It’s also worth mentioning that the gut microbiome’s influence goes beyond digestion and endocrine function, it also affects metabolism, inflammation, neurodevelopment and the immune and nervous systems, this can affect perimenopause and menopause symptoms that are not normally linked with the gut, such as fatigue, weight gain, lowered libido, memory loss and mood swings, to name a few – this doubles down on the impact of the gut microbiome when it comes to perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
So, can improving the gut microbiome help reduce menopause symptoms?
All the information above would very strongly suggest so, and more specifically, a 2018 study, carried out on oestrogen-deficient rats, by Hoseo University in Asan, Korea found that menopausal syndrome can be alleviated by maintaining gut microbial diversity.
The question is; how can you improve the gut microbiome specifically to help with the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause?
Firstly, you need a healthy microbiome, full of healthy microbes to absorb the energy and nutrients from your food, and research suggests that the best way to make this happen is by consuming live organisms known as probiotics.
A 2023 study by ChengDu Fifth People’s Hospital in Sichuan, China, looked at health survey results from 2,699 women to conclude that the ingestion of probiotic supplements was associated with an increase in the oestrogen estradiol in premenopausal women and lower testosterone levels in postmenopausal women, suggesting that “probiotic ingestion might be a sensible strategy for treating sex hormone-related diseases”.
Probiotics can come from fermented foods such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, tempeh and kombucha, or consider taking a probiotic supplement for ease, especially one that is designed with women and female hormones in mind.
Add women’s health specific probiotics
Microbz women is a natural probiotic supplement which contains strains of beneficial bacteria that can specifically help tackle some of the symptoms that come with menopause and perimenopause.
The bio live cultures used in Microbz women include:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which helps reduce IBS symptoms, mood swings, hot flushes and night sweats, and can also lower vaginal dryness and risk of osteoporosis, while supporting the immune system.
Lactobacillus acidophilus to reduce inflammation and bloating, help prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections, and to help speed up the immune system’s responses.
Bifidobacterium bifidum, which works to improve vaginal health and gut health through improving bowel movement and reducing inflammation. It can also reduce hot flushes, lower the resin of osteoporosis and boost the immune system.
*Microbz probiotics contain 15 strains of live active microbes and use organisms harnessed directly from soil rather than lab produced like competitors, this helps to increase the diversity of the available microbes.
Herbs and minerals can help too…
In addition to specific live organisms, microbz women has a finely curated mix of herbs and minerals to combat the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, here are some of those included and how they can help:
- Blue cohosh can combat stomach cramps, constipation, pelvic infections and uterus stimulation.
- Dong quay is used to alleviate menstrual cramps and migraines, and improve blood flow and circulation.
- Fennel is for relieving hot flushes, vaginal dryness and to reduce sleep disturbances.
- Holy basil is an adaptogen that helps to restore hormonal balance.
- Siberian Ginseng helps to support the immune system and reduces stress.
- Lady’s mantle tackles menstrual cramps and gynaecological and abdominal disorders.
- Maca root promotes hormone balance and libido, relieves menopause symptoms and boosts energy.
- Moringa supports bone and muscle health, and boosts energy.
- Oat straw helps with bone density, hormone balance, digestion and supports sexual function.
- Peony can help reduce cramps, hormonal migraines, night sweats and heavy bleeding, and can be helpful for those with PCOS and PMS.
- Saffron improves mood, libido and sexual function, it reduces PMS and aids weight loss.
- Schisandra, or magnolia vines, is effective in alleviating hot flushes, sweating and heart palpitations in menopause.
- Shatavari root regulates oestrogen, manages menstrual irregularities and alleviates menopausal symptoms.
- Shepherd’s purse can help combat PMS and heavy bleeding.
- Valerian reduces hot flushes, PMS and painful menstruation, and aids sleep. It also helps reduce anxiety and stress.
Add prebiotics foods
Once you have started intaking probiotics, you want to think about how to support the beneficial bacteria through your nutrition, cutting back on processed and “white” foods such as bread and sugar can help, as can adding prebiotic foods to help support the growth and diversity of your microbiome. This includes eating beans and pulses, leafy green vegetables, wholegrain foods such as oats, nuts and seeds, bananas and berries, chicory root, asparagus, artichoke, garlic and onions.
A recent study by Zoe showed that a healthier diet can improve menopausal symptoms in as little as six months. The research found that diet can be our biggest ally during menopause, with the potential to reduce overall peri and postmenopausal symptoms by 30% and 37% respectively.
In summary…
A healthy gut microbiome can help alleviate a number of symptoms of menopause and perimenopause – and not just those linked to the digestive system, this is due to the symbiosis between the gut microbiome and oestrogen metabolism and circulation. It’s key to help grow and diversify this gut microbiome through probiotic foods, probiotic supplementation or both, and then support this system with healthy, prebiotic foods. This healthy microbiome can then help to balance hormones that cause menopausal syndrome, as well as support other systems in the body that are connected to menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
