246-SYNCPodcast_MenopauseSymptoms

[00:00:00] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today, we’re diving into some weird symptoms of menopause in women. Now, this is a topic that gets brought up in my inner circles of hormone health conscious women often and I wanted to bring it to the spotlight for this episode. It’s important that we women understand the strange things that can pop up in our 40s and 50s and what it might mean about our waning menstrual clocks.

[00:01:19] Jenny Swisher: Now, let’s start with a refresher about what menopause truly is. Remember, it’s simply a birthday, a moment in time when we are 12 months from our last official period. The decade or so leading up to menopause is called perimenopause, and most of the symptoms I’m about to talk about today come during that phase of life.

[00:01:37] Jenny Swisher: Now I just turned 40 myself, and while recent lab work shows a high ovarian reserve, I’m already starting to experience changes in my menstrual cycle length, worsening of migraines, and even some occasional night sweats around my period. It’s not fun. And I know that I want to be best prepared for how to feel good with maximum energy during this next decade.

[00:01:56] Jenny Swisher: And I want this for you too. So know this, you do not have to suffer through perimenopause. You can actually thrive. It comes down to mastering the fundamentals of hormone balance. Your sleep, your unique supplementation meant for you, fitness, nutrition, and emotional trauma. But it starts with first realizing that you’re not alone.

[00:02:16] Jenny Swisher: So what are the strangest symptoms of perimenopause that you may not be hearing about much? Well, I want to talk about that today. These are all taken from a variety of online articles from trusted mentors of mine, like Dr. Jolene Brighton and Dr. Laura Bryden, as well as others. The first symptom that we’re going to talk about that I actually hear about often in women in their 40s and 50s is itchy ears.

[00:02:36] Jenny Swisher: And yes, I said ears. Now, ironically, since about a year ago, I myself have been having some weird ear sensations creep up. Sometimes they’re itchy, especially around ovulation, but sometimes more vertigo and dizziness. This is actually quite common for some women during perimenopause. Turns out we have estrogen and progesterone receptors in our ears, and as these levels decline, it can affect them.

[00:02:58] Jenny Swisher: Similarly, ringing in the ears can also creep up. Definitely not comfortable, but if you’re experiencing it, it may not be the sinus issues that you thought it was. It might, in fact, be hormonally related. Next on the list is burning tongue. Yep. So itchy ears and burning tongue. Once again, this can be due to a dropping estrogen level and dry mucous membranes.

[00:03:18] Jenny Swisher: So fascinating. If itchy ears or burning tongue are affecting you, consider working with a practitioner that’s knowledgeable in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. It really is a game changer for so many women. Also prevalent and something that I hear about often is thinning hair. Women will start to say, I don’t know why, but I’m starting to see my hair really thin out, or I’m losing a lot more hair in the shower.

[00:03:38] Jenny Swisher: Once again, this can be due to a decline in estrogen and progesterone. It can also be related to thyroid, but typically it’s also due to a shift during perimenopause and androgens. While I can give you tips about using a silk pillowcase or using a gentle brush, the truth is that examining the root cause and supplementing any deficiencies is superior.

[00:03:58] Jenny Swisher: Next on the list is bloating and digestive changes. Some women will notice weight gain in the belly, but they’ll also notice this unwanted sense of belly bloat, especially after meals. I always recommend keeping a pulse on your gut health and using things like pre and probiotics, digestive enzymes, and making sure that you’re keeping up with 25 grams of fiber per day, because that can make a huge difference.

[00:04:19] Jenny Swisher: Also common in perimenopause is a metallic taste in the mouth. Staying hydrated can help, but once again, we’ve got to pay attention to the falling hormone levels and work with that practitioner. So yeah, so far we’ve talked about itchy ears, burning tongue, metallic taste in the mouth, and belly bloating.

[00:04:35] Jenny Swisher: Sign me up for perimenopause. Interestingly, cold chills and hot flashes can also go hand in hand in perimenopause. We hear women talk about the night sweats and the hot flashes, but we rarely hear about the tendency to also feel chilled due to lowering estrogen levels, which can also lower body temperature.

[00:04:51] Jenny Swisher: So in other words, we’re going to be dressing in layers. My friends, another odd symptom, some women deal with in their late forties and fifties is frozen shoulder. This happens once again, as a connection and hormone changes, you might think, well, what does my shoulder have to do with my hormones? Kind of like your ears, But research in this area is strongly gathering traction as more and more women complain of this happening around this time of life.

[00:05:13] Jenny Swisher: We know that, guess what, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can dramatically lessen these symptoms. These are all things that women can experience in perimenopause along with the usual symptoms that we hear about so much. Things like anxiety, restless sleep, night sweats, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, brain fog, exacerbated headaches, heavy bleeding, long or short cycles, and the number one thing I hear, which is I just don’t feel like myself.

[00:05:37] Jenny Swisher: Whose body is this? Perimenopause has been dubbed second puberty by Dr. Laura Bryden, and with good reason. We are in another transition in our female adult life. From puberty to pregnancy to perimenopause, there’s never a dull moment. It’s important that we see this as our superpowers, and not as a detriment.

[00:05:57] Jenny Swisher: I know I myself have found myself discouraged in the recent worsening of my migraines. And while it’s a huge pain, quite literally, I also have to be grateful that I have this able body. While men might not get to experience highs and lows of hormones, we get to experience ebbing and flowing with the moon and being an integral part of nature and reproduction.

[00:06:15] Jenny Swisher: Not saying that men aren’t a role player, but truly friends, we hold the beacon as women, thanks to our sexual health. If you or someone you know is suffering from perimenopausal symptoms that are wreaking havoc on their quality of life, their relationships, or their state of mind, give them a freaking hug.

[00:06:31] Jenny Swisher: Let them know that they’re not alone. Growing up, I always heard my mom and older women joke about menopause, but as I get older, I’m finding more women standing up to not being okay feeling not okay. It’s time that we demand more in the realm of getting treatment and help with natural solutions. From tweaking our nutrition, sleep, supplementation, and fitness, to working with knowledgeable menopause educated doctors.

[00:06:54] Jenny Swisher: By the way, finding menopause educated doctors can be few and far between. So that’s a task in itself, but we’ve got to get the help and the potential bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that we might need. I have been working alongside Dr. Paige Gutile for nine months now in virtual health consults with women in my community, and it blows my mind the life changing power of proper supplementation and bioHRT.

[00:07:15] Jenny Swisher: Women who are struggling with libido or brain fog or trouble sleeping or that low energy are now coming back weeks later raving about how much better they feel. Dr. Paige often says, most doctors need convinced of bioHRT necessity, and I have to be convinced why not to use it. I love this because what we know about women and menopause is this cardiovascular risk is higher in women who do not use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, as is risk for bone density issues, muscular health, brain health, and overall longevity.

[00:07:46] Jenny Swisher: The time to step into your hormone literacy is now friends, it is a new era and it’s at your fingertips. If you want to learn more about these health consults that we have opening up to the public with Dr. Page, the SYNC course, or the new SYNC fitness program that we have launching in just a few weeks.

[00:08:01] Jenny Swisher: Please reference the show notes, just simply swipe up and I’ll have all the links there for you. As always, my friends, share this out and talk about it. Let’s talk about it. Women need to become vulnerable in the service of other women. We need to start saying, hey, I’m in perimenopause too, and it kind of sucks.

[00:08:15] Jenny Swisher: You want to hear about my itchy ears? Thanks so much for listening, my friends. Until next time, we’ll talk soon. Bye bye.