Women’s Reproductive Roadmap
by author Gail Johnson

Whether they’re troubled by painful cramps or they simply can’t be bothered with the perceived inconvenience of menstruation, some women choose to suppress their periods.

Among the methods of suppressing menstruation are:

• daily oral contraceptives: Seasonale, Seasonique, and Lybrel
• injected hormonal contraception: Depo-Provera
• intra-uterine device: Mirena

Although all of these approaches lead to fewer and lighter periods (about four a year), unexpected bleeding and spotting is far more frequent than with normal cycles.

Dr. Jerilynn Prior, who heads Vancouver’s Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, has two concerns with the extended use of hormonal contraception:

1. the unknown health risks of higher doses of estrogen and progestin
2. the way the hype surrounding the drugs makes women feel as if menstruation is a problem

Many women, however, want to have regular periods because they rely on menstruation as a sign that their body is functioning normally.

Fertility

Age of conception
Women are most fertile between the ages of 20 and 24. However, since the mid 1970s, there has been a four-fold increase in the percentage of women having their first child after age 30.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in the United Kingdom, women are half as fertile at 35 as they were at 25; by 40, they’re half as fertile as when they were 35.

What affects fertility
Factors affecting fertility include ovarian reserve (the number of functioning follicles left in the ovaries); the thinning of the endometrium, which results in the lining of the womb becoming less hospitable to a fertilized egg; and conditions such as endometriosis and chlamydia.

How to boost fertility

Exercise
According to Acubalance’s Brown, the first step is exercise, which releases endorphins, or, as he calls them, “Mother Nature’s antidepressants.” “Just a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes a day will get the feel-good hormones active and help with overall circulation,” he says.

Relax
The next step is deep relaxation, whether that’s having a massage, gardening, taking a bubble bath, or getting outside.

“Acupuncture can reduce stress by relaxing the sympathetic nervous system,” Brown adds.
Good-quality sleep is crucial too, as is connecting with family and friends.

Eat right
Brown has also devised a specific fertility diet. The whole foods, plant-based diet, which is high in antioxidants, includes “slow carbs” (meaning they’re slowly digested) such as beans, lentils, whole grains, and brightly coloured vegetables.

Registered holistic nutritionist Stephanie Hodges of Vitalis Nutrition Designs says diet plays a key role in reproductive health.

“Eat only whole unrefined fats, in moderation of course,” she says.

Cleanse your liver
Hodges also urges women to take care of their livers. “Three to six months before you plan to get pregnant, take a few weeks to cleanse your liver very gently. This can be done by adopting a simple vegetarian diet and cutting out caffeine, sugar, wheat, and dairy.”

Menopause

Before women hit menopause, they go through perimenopause, which is usually marked by irregular bleeding and can also include mood swings, night sweats, sleep disturbances, nausea, and migraine headaches.

The progression to menopause—defined by the cessation of menstruation for at least 12 months—usually takes anywhere from two to eight years. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 40 and 55. Starting early is associated with lean body weight, low socioeconomic status, and smoking.

Popular culture tends to focus on the potential negative outcomes of menopause, such as depression and supposedly lower libido, but many women find the transition positive: no longer do they need to worry about feminine protection, birth control, or PMS.

There are physical effects of menopause, such as hot flushes, night sweats, breast tenderness, bloating, weight gain, and vaginal dryness. The last one has an easy solution: more sex. Regular sexual activity increases natural lubrication. Exercise can help with the other symptoms and also
boost energy.

Help for hot flushes

• yoga
• exercise
• acupuncture
• soy beverages
• positive outlook

When to call your doctor

• you soak through a pad or tampon every hour for two to three hours
• bleeding lasts longer than a week
• severe pain
• foul-smelling discharge
  

Gail Johnson is an award-winning journalist.

Source: alive #321, July 2009