As women, hormones tend to cause havoc with our bodies from an early age – from pre-puberty, all the way to post menopause, with many women commenting that it feels like their hormones
“are on a route-march”
on certain days!
There are a number of hormones that we think of as largely
“female”
which are also produced in men, albeit in different quantities. Today, let’s look at estrogen and its various roles in our bodies.
The estrogen hormones
Estrogen is known as the
“female hormone”
that causes our breasts to develop during puberty and gives us our womanly shape. The body produces three different estrogens called estradiol, estrone and estriol.
Estradiol is the ‘strongest’ estrogen and is produced by the ovaries, and it is the dominant one from puberty to the menopause.
Estriol is the main estrogen during pregnancy, produced by the placenta.
Estrone is produced at the menopause by the adrenal glands and estrogen-producing fat cells.
As well as helping to develop our sexual characteristics through puberty, estrogen has other functions including:
helping to thicken the womb lining ready for a pregnancy
increasing vaginal lubrication
thickening the vaginal wall
increasing HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (or ‘bad’ cholesterol)
as well as helping to lift one’s mood.
These functions of estrogen are particularly important as we go through menopause, as so many women struggle with vaginal dryness, itching and urinary tract infections during and post menopause, and yet it’s not a subject openly discussed.
Low levels of estrogen cause changes in the vagina, making it drier and less elastic and the tissue can become much thinner and more inflamed so friction during intercourse can sometimes cause bleeding. For some women it feels like they have cystitis after intercourse because the entrance to the urethra can become bruised, causing inflammation.
The pH of the vagina changes through the menopause too. Before menopause, your vagina is usually acidic and this helps keep infections at bay but the drop in estrogen causes the vagina to become more alkaline, which means you can be more prone to vaginal infections.
What to do?
Dr Marilyn Glenville, (PhD, specialist in women’s health) in her book,
“Natural Solutions to Menopause”
suggests that your daily diet should include:
A multivitamin & mineral supplement, designed for women at your stage of life;
Omega 3 fish oils (with 770mg EPA and 510mg DHA) for its anti-inflammatory effect which will also benefit your heart, brain, bones and joints;
Vitamin C (500mg twice a day) – an important anti-oxidant and immune builder, it is especially important at this time in your life because it is crucial for the manufacture of collagen which is important for your bone health, gives your skin elasticity and keeps your blood vessels strong to prevent easy bruising. It is also vital for joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Because of the change in pH of the vagina you want to make sure that you have good levels of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system, so take a good probiotic which can help to protect you against thrush, vaginal and urinary infections.
Use a natural lubricant, not one of the many that contain chemicals such as parabens which could cause additional problems.
Speaking of natural lubricants………….
The ANARA PERSONAL LUBRICANT meets so many of the needs mentioned above, and even has a few more of its own special properties to help treat and prevent these problems.
It is ALOE-BASED and contains a very meaningful amount of real aloe gel. Aloe has been known for hundreds of years for its soothing, moisturising and healing properties, and the aloe in the ANARA lubricant does exactly that – soothes and nourishes dry, itchy skin whilst also helping to heal any broken or damaged skin;
Aloe contains PHYTOESTROGENS, which are absorbed through the skin, into the bloodstream (which is why the Anara Cooling Gel helps to relieve hot flushes);
The Anara Personal Lubricant contains TWO SPECIALISED PROBIOTICS, imported from France, to help balance the good & bad bacteria in the vagina and prevent infections;
It has one of the lowest (if not THE lowest) OSMOLALITY counts – this being the amount of moisture that a product like a lubricant draws OUT of your own skin! Anara lubricant was laboratory tested and proven to have just 160, so you can be sure that it will not dry out your skin, but do the exact opposite – it will leave your vaginal skin feeling moisturised, soft and smooth;
Aloe also helps to REGENERATE NEW SKIN CELLS, so on a regular daily basis, it will help to strengthen the skin of the vaginal wall and help to prevent atrophy (thinning of skin);
Aloe is a known VASODILATOR which improves circulation, an added bonus to this product is that it improves circulation in intimate areas (for both men and women) thereby increasing libido and enhancing the sexual experience.
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