Archive for Women's Health
Herbal Remedies to Boost Fertility
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Herbal Remedies, Relationships & Sex, Women's Health
Fertility drugs usually have undesirable side effects in women who want to get pregnant. One option to consider to boost fertility, is the use of herbal remedies. These natural remedies help the uterus become toned and healthy, balance hormones, reduce stress and calm the nervous system.
Some herbs that are considered helpful in overcoming fertility problems are:
- Damiana – Stimulates nerves, metabolism, circulation and the genitals. The leaves are used in tonics and teas to restore impotence and sexual vitality. Damiana also helps to relax the nervous system.
- Dong Quai – Has been proven successful in promoting fertility during the time between ovulation and menstruation. This herb should only be used in combination with other herbs that promote fertility.
- False unicorn root – Used as a tonic to promote a healthy uterus. It also helps the ovaries, bladder and kidneys to become more alkaline.
- Nettle leaves – Chlorophyll and minerals contained in this herb are great to balance hormones. When used as a tonic, it helps to keep the uterus healthy. Kidneys and the adrenal glands are also benefited by the use of nettle leaves.
- Raspberry leaf – This is perhaps the most popular of all herbal remedies used to increase fertility. It’s high in calcium and is also used as a tonic for the uterus.
- Red clover blossom – Some consider this as the most useful herb to increase fertility and establish pregnancy. Used daily, it can help balance hormones. This herb is also high in magnesium and calcium and contains trace minerals.
Calcium and Magnesium are also important in ensuring the conception of a healthy baby and the ability to carry it for the full nine months. Research the use of vitamins, minerals and herbs to better understand how you can benefit from their use in the quest to establish a pregnancy.
Fertility problems are complicated and varied, but many couples have used herbal remedies with excellent results. Keep in mind that nutrition and lifestyle can be important factors in treating infertility.
Infertility is defined, as women who are unable to get pregnant, or men who are unable to impregnate a woman despite repeated attempts for at least one year. It is important to remember that we are referring to women who are of normal childbearing age and not those who can’t get pregnant because they are near or past menopause.
There isn’t just one overall reason for female infertility — there are many common causes. Thankfully, great strides have been made in medical technology and now the majority of infertility causes can be treated. Once the problem is diagnosed and corrected, many women can go on to experience a viable pregnancy. It’s helpful to know a few of the most common infertility causes.
One of the most common causes of infertility in women is fibroids. Fibroids are benign tumors usually found inside the uterus, but sometimes they can grow in other places. They can grow outside the uterus, underneath the uterine wall or at the cervix. Depending on their size and location, fibroids can delay or prevent pregnancy.
If the fibroids are inside the uterus and become large enough, they can cause extremely heavy monthly periods. One woman began to hemorrhage because of uterine fibroids and had to have an emergency hysterectomy to stop the bleeding.
Fibroids cause anemia and anemia can cause infertility as well. If you have heavy monthly cycles, get checked for fibroids and have the doctor check your iron count as well.
Fibroids can grow so large that they can cause the uterus to extend and appear anywhere from the size of a six week to a few months pregnancy. Fibroids may be treated with medications or surgery, depending on the severity of the problem.
Another cause of infertility is endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which the uterine tissue grows in areas where it shouldn’t rather than in the uterus lining. If endometriosis is severe enough, it can cause scarring. Endometriosis can be treated with hormone therapy or surgery if needed, to remove scarring.
Having diabetes can cause infertility. Some studies suggest that the cause of infertility in overweight diabetic women is a direct result of being overweight while others suggest it is due to the overall health risks associated with too much weight gain. However, poor control of blood sugar levels does raise the risk of miscarriage.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (also known as PCOS) can also cause infertility. Two of the widely known symptoms of PCOS are noticeable facial or body hair and monthly periods that are not regular.
This condition can be diagnosed by having an ultrasound done or by having bloodwork drawn and the blood tested for too much androgen. Androgen is the hormone that makes a man look like a man.
For example, growth of coarse facial hair and hair growth on the back are part of the effects of androgen hormone associated with men. This condition can also lead to insulin resistance, weight gain and type II diabetes, which is why it’s important to catch it early and get treatment.
Female infertility may also be caused by too much caffeine, medication or by thyroid malfunction. Get a check up done to see if one of these reasons is the cause of infertility.
Stress Reduction Tips for Women
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Relaxation & Stress Reduction, Women's Health
Between careers, kids, aging parents, relationships, finances and who knows what else, women have a lot of things that can potentially cause great stress in their lives. Stress can cause our immune systems to become compromised, depression, weight gain or loss, loss of sex drive, difficulty with concentrating and just plain crabbiness.
What can we do to help ourselves with all this stress? There are many ways to relax and de-stress every day. You can try things like meditation, visualization, a nice bath, writing in a journal, a good workout or some self-pampering.
The problem is that many women say they simply don’t have time for any of this. The simple answer to that is that if you don’t take time to take care of yourself, you’re going to be ineffective at best at taking care of anyone or anything else.
You really need to find time to allow yourself to de-stress. Here is a list of techniques and things you can do to reduce stress in your life:
1.) Organize, simplify and delegate. Stop thinking you can or you have to do everything all at once and all by yourself. Find ways to better organize your life and your home. Use calendars and lists.
Get rid of the clutter that you don’t use or need (be brutal), stop worrying about dusting the house every week – if it’s that important, have one of the kids do it or hire a housekeeper to come in every other week. Or, better yet, realize that the sun doesn’t rise and set depending on whether your coffee table is dust-free or not.
2.) Practice tried and true forms of relaxation. Meditation isn’t difficult to learn and it can do wonders for helping you reduce stress in your life. Even if you only meditate for 10 or 15 minutes a day, you can use a mediation CD to learn, or join a class.
Another method used for deep relaxation is visualization or guided imagery. You can purchase CDs that guide you to a state of deep relaxation and back out again. For many women, these are very helpful.
3.) Get some exercise! You can use Asian exercise forms such as Qigong or Tai Chi which can be learned in class or by using an instructional DVD. Yoga is also wonderful for helping to reduce stress.
These forms of exercise have other benefits beside stress reduction. You can also reduce stress by doing a more traditional workout every day – or even every other day. Join a gym, or get a workout buddy. Walk or run for exercise or take a kickboxing class to really get some pent up energy out.
Other good ways to reduce stress include:
- Writing in a journal every day. Just let it all out.
- Allow yourself to go to the spa for a massage once in awhile and really enjoy the experience.
- Practice deep breathing and pay attention to your breathing all day long. If you notice yourself shallow breathing, stop and concentrate on taking some good, healthy, deep breaths.
- Take a warm bath and follow by cuddling up in your favorite pajamas with a good book.
The pressure to perform is intense for women. We are mothers, partners, daughters, employees and employers. We serve on committees and help with the local volunteer group.
Sometimes we get stressed out. The need for time to relax and pay attention to our own bodies and minds is great, and we cannot ignore that need. If we do, we may end up not being able to serve others or ourselves in the ways we want to.
Visit our bookstore to get more ideas to reducing stress in your life.
Can Headaches be Caused by a Hormonal Imbalance?
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Women's Health
When you experience hormonal imbalance, it seems as if your entire body is working against you. Not just with headaches that occur during your period, but those that seem to linger with perimenopause and even during menopause.
If you had severe headaches in adolescence during the years after starting your period, you might find that the same migraine type headache returns at menopause. Hardly seems fair, does it?
It’s as if your hormones want to get back at you both coming and going. These headaches are probably related to hormonal shifts in your body. As a teenager, your headaches stopped after your body became use to your monthly cycle.
When your body is transitioning away from its childbearing years into menopause, the headaches are back again until the body levels off. For some women, hormonal headaches are more intense during ovulation or just after ovulation is over.
Unless you’re tracking ovulation in order to get pregnant or prevent pregnancy, you may not even know when that is. So pay attention to your cycle for a few months and note whether your headaches start a few days to a week before your period or just after your period.
Going on birth control pills may reduce or eliminate hormonal headaches for some women. No matter what the source of your hormonal headaches some ways to deal with them include:
- Eat fewer processed foods, especially processed meats
- Avoid any foods with MSG or other food additives that you may be sensitive to
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. Triple shot lattes, sodas and wine spritzers don’t count for hydration. In fact, this intake of sugar, caffeine and alcohol may actually contribute to worsening the headaches
- Don’t snack on junk food during the day and then eat a big meal at night. Eat a balanced diet, divided into 5 or 6 small meals during the day. This supports your blood sugar levels and provides online nutrition during your busy daytime hours.
- Get regular exercise – aerobics or running for strength and yoga or Pilates for muscle tone and flexibility
These prevention measures might help you avoid a hormonal headache or at least reduce the impact of the headache.
Heavy periods, also called menorrhagia, are characterized by blood loss of more that 8 teaspoons per period (it’s not easy to know exactly how many teaspoons of blood you lose), passing of large clots, and the need to change protection during the night. Menorrhagia is an abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual period at regular intervals.
Women are often dismayed to go through years of what would be considered “normal” periods, only to find at some point that their period has become heavy and rather unmanageable.
Having said all that, a “heavy period” is still a very subjective term as periods vary from woman to woman in duration, the span between periods, discomfort and amount of blood loss. Heavy periods are not necessarily a problem unless they cause undue inconvenience or other physical issues such as anemia, which can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, faintness and when severe enough, angina.
Causes may be due to abnormal blood clotting, disruption of normal hormonal regulation of periods or disorders of the endometrial lining of the uterus. Depending upon the cause, it may be associated with abnormally painful periods (dysmenorrhea).
In order to determine the cause in each individual, a visit to the doctor is necessary. Here are some possibilities:
- Hormonal Imbalance – During the course of the menstrual cycle, hormones rise and fall regularly. Sometimes around the time of perimenopause, these hormonal fluctuations get out of hand, causing heavier periods. Hormonal imbalances related to thyroid disease can have the same effect.
- Uterine fibroids – These are benign tumors that form in the uterus during childbearing years. They commonly cause heavy bleeding and/or longer periods.
- Polyps – Like uterine fibroids, polyps are benign, but they are smaller.
- Dysfunction of the ovaries – If the ovaries are not ovulating properly, menorrhagia may result.
- IUD (Intrauterine device) – IUDs are a well-known form of birth control, but are also well known for causing heavier periods.
- Miscarriage – One single very heavy period my signal miscarriage. An ectopic pregnancy may also cause heavy bleeding.
- Certain medications – anti-inflammatory drugs and anticoagulants may cause heavier periods.
- Cancer – Uterine, cervical or ovarian cancer can sometimes be the cause of heavy bleeding.
- Other conditions – pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, thyroid problems, or liver or kidney disease may be the cause of heavy periods.
If you’re suffering from heavy periods, you should see your doctor to rule out any problems that require immediate attention. Most often, heavy periods signal hormonal imbalances that can be fairly easily corrected or other condition that may require little or no intervention unless the bleeding is causing disruptions in your life.
It isn’t necessary to panic over heavy periods, especially if they come at regular intervals and you’re feeling well otherwise. If you’re reaching the years of perimenopause, heavier periods almost always come with the territory.
Be sure to always have your yearly exam done and if you feel the need, visit your doctor before it’s time for your next exam to discuss your concerns. If you notice sudden, unusually heavy bleeding, or heavy periods accompanied by unusual discomfort, you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.
Reduced Libido or Lack of Sex Drive in Women
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Relationships & Sex, Women's Health
There’s plenty of information out there when it comes to male sex drive. Viagra® or some other type of “enhancer” are advertised frequently in magazines and commercials run regularly on prime-time TV.
Women often have issues with libido or sex drive too, but the problem is often brushed off as women not being as sexually driven as men. Nothing could be further from the truth. Women have just as deep a need and desire for sex as men.
Just as a man’s sex drive decreases with age, there are some things that will reduce the female libido or sex drive. Fortunately, they are all treatable!
Here are some of the causes of reduced libido or sex drive in women:
- Hormones – As women enter their perimenopause and menopause, hormones begin to fluctuate wildly. These hormonal imbalances are often accompanied by other symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain. Women often just don’t feel “sexy” when experiencing these symptoms. It is interesting to note that females (human) need their own pheromones to feel turned on. Lack of pheromones makes it more difficult to be in the “mood for sex.”
- Physical Changes – As women age and get closer to the years of menopause, changes take place in the vagina due to lowered levels of estrogen. This may cause thinning of the mucus membranes, along with a loss of elasticity in the walls of the vagina and an uncomfortable feeling of dryness. This can cause pain during intercourse, so a woman may begin to dread sex because of the pain.
- Daily stresses – Stress is one of the major causes of lack of sex drive or reduced libido in women. Stress robs the body of many of the essential building blocks it needs to produce estrogen and testosterone. Both estrogen and testosterone are a necessary for a healthy sex drive. When over-stressed, a body will choose to try to protect itself and conserve energy rather than seek sexual pleasure.
- Emotional issues with spouse/partner – Sometimes the stress of a relationship that isn’t working dampens sexual desire. Often this happens after several years into the relationship when a woman enters perimenopause or menopause. Her feelings about “how life should be” begin to change. Behavior that was once tolerated is now resented, making it harder to enjoy a healthy sex life.
- Poor nutrition – Quick weight loss diets and/or very low-fat diets are bad for a woman’s sex drive. The body needs lipids (found in fats) to make hormones, including testosterone which can boost a woman’s sex drive.
- Social norms – Some women grow up with the belief that once you reach “a certain age,” your sex life is over. It’s no longer socially appropriate to consider yourself a sexual being. This mindset will have an adverse effect on a woman’s libido or sex drive.
- Marital status – Sometimes being single and the whole prospect of dating is just too overwhelming. So some single women avoid it and give up having sex.
For women, rediscovering their sex drive isn’t as easy as taking a small pill a few hours before intercourse as men do. However, it’s not impossible to regain your libido and enjoy sex with all the exuberance that you did before.
Here are some tips that may help:
- Have an honest talk with your doctor – Don’t automatically assume that hormone replacement therapy is going to be your best bet if you are perimenopausal or menopausal. See your doctor to discuss options and rule out other possible problems.
- Relax – Stress is a major player in wreaking havoc with sex drive. Explore the many ways available to reduce stress in your life. Exercise, meditate, pray, write in a journal, take time each day for YOU, go to the salon once a week for a pedicure, take a walk in the park, see a counselor, take a kick-boxing class. You get the idea. Find ways to relax, even if it’s for ten minutes a day.
- Address the physical changes in your body – If you’re suffering from vaginal dryness and discomfort, use vitamin E suppositories a couple of times a week, or go to the pharmacy and purchase a personal lubricant made especially for helping with this problem.
- See a nutritionist – Make sure your diet is correct for your needs. Also, ask about vitamin, mineral and/or herbal supplements that may help.
- Be sexy, feel sexy – So, you might not be 20 any longer. You can still be sexy and hot. Go to the makeup counter at your favorite store and learn some new makeup tricks. Freshen your hairstyle, put on a sexy fragrance and light some candles. It’s amazing what wonders small changes like these can produce.
- Communicate – Your partner probably has no idea what’s going on. Be open and honest. Let your partner know what you need to help things along. Maybe you need some time and understanding until the hormones or supplements kick in. Maybe you need to see a couple’s counselor. Do your best to communicate openly.
Sex drive is an important part of human life. We are meant to enjoy sex well into our golden years. If you are suffering from a waning libido, there are steps you can take to refresh your desire for sex.
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