What is a Menopause Tool Kit?

A Menopause Tool Kit is a collection of actions and items that will enable you to manage symptoms and optimize your physical and mental health as you travel the menstrual health timeline.

It could equally be called a Menstrual Health Tool Kit.

What you choose today, may not be what you choose tomorrow. It’s all about balance.

Choosing what to add to the robust selection of items can only happen when you have a clear understanding of where you are and what the options are.

1. Learn about the menstrual health timeline

You can read a copy of Menopausology (no email required). This short read will explain the process of menopausing and give you an insight into why menopause transition may lead to some physical and emotional challenges.

2. Keep a Journal to collect the data on you

Use a symptom tracker, pen and paper will do, to identify the signs and indicators that you are noticing now. You could also recall any other symptoms that may have come and gone in the last few months or years. Write down as much as you can about your historic menstrual health. 

3. Tune in to you

As you start to notice more things about yourself, start to record the information in terms of food, mood, movement, and stress. Also, note any significant differences in relation to your menstrual cycle. It may take 30 days or so to collect enough information but gradually you will start to get a much clearer picture of when symptoms occur, what makes them better, and when they are worse.

Key ‘supplements’ that could be in any  menstrual or peri/menopause tool kit, are*:

Breathing (Vit O) – get plenty of Oxygen. Controlled breathing, on purpose with a purpose, will instantly reduce stress which triggers a reduction in cortisol, which then helps all hormones work better. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Feelings of sadness, anxiety, physical strains, vasomotor symptoms (hot & cold flushes, and sweats)

Move (Vit E) – exercise that helps to maintain muscle strength and joint flexibility will keep you mobile for longer in your lifespan. Moving requires the heart to pump and the lungs to inflate. Both help with circulation and cardiovascular strength. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Mindset, emotions, aches and pains, flexibility, brain fog.

Food (Vit N) – a good quality of nutrients is essential. Without a great source of vitamins and minerals from a wide variety of real foods you are not going to experience the best kind of natural hormone cascades that your body should be experiencing to function well. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Crushing fatigue, brain fog, joint aches & pains, temperature regulation, insomnia.

Rest & Destress (Vit Sr) – Stress and Sleep are two vital components of life. Whilst we need positive stressors to function, too many for too long of the negative stressors will impair all hormone functions, slowly grinding us to a halt. Sleep, or rest, must be good quality to balance out the stress. Sleep can become impaired not only because of changes in ovarian hormone levels but also because we rush into it. Take more break points in the day to connect with the parasympathetic nervous system. For example, while the kettle is boiling stand still and breathe, prep your real food meals, and chop/mix in a mindful way, let your mind wander, and journal for 5 mins before bedtime. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Insomnia, overwhelm, lack of joy, anxiety, vasomotor symptoms, ear and eye ones (anything related to the vestibular system)

Social Connections (Vit L) – finding joy and laughter during times of confusion feels like a complex ask. ‘Shouldn’t you be focusing on the core elements?’. We are human beings and we benefit from being human with others. Oestrogen has a direct relationship with oxytocin the ‘cuddle and care’ hormone, which also happens to be a brain chemical. Without enough oxytocin, it directly affects our happiness dial. The bad news is oxytocin depletion can present as aching muscles, sleep disturbance, and a bigger appetite for sugary foods. The good news is laughter swaps the cortisol in the bloodstream with the happy hormones oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins. Altogether they can improve immune functioning, stress relief, cardiovascular health, reduced anxiety, sense of safety, and improved mood. What kind of symptoms may be helped? All of the above.

*The Bottom Line – Obviously, there is a play on the word ‘supplement’ and those 5 vitamins are not real – but I honestly think they should be.