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[Jari]

For women choosing against or coming off hrt and are interested in following a hormone balancing diet/lifestyle change, this might be helpful if you are suffering with VA.

Hope it helps. X

quote: Women who eat a nutritious diet generally experience fewer problems with their vagina in the menopausal years, so do follow a healthy, balanced diet. For hormone balance it is especially important to make sure you eat enough essential fatty acids or EFAs and to supplement with fish oil. A low- or no-fat diet can make your whole body drier including the vagina. it's also important to stock up on phytoestrogens, as research shows that foods rich in phytoestrogens, such as soya, chickpeas, lentils, flaxseeds and so on, can change the cells of the vagina so that they become more soft, elastic and moist ? all essential for pain-free intercourse.

Eating plain organic yogurt with live culture four to five times a week may also help to maintain healthy intestinal flora and vaginal balance.

Supplements

Omega-3 fish oils (including 700mg EPA and 500mg DHA, daily) Essential fats are a necessary part of hormone balance and they can help to keep the body lubricated including the vagina.

Vitamin C (500mg twice daily) This nutrient is essential for healthy collagen formation and collagen gives tissue elasticity.

Vitamin E (400iu daily) This powerful antioxidant is known for its anti-ageing properties and research has shown that it can help with vaginal dryness.

Probiotics (daily, taken one containing at least 22 billion bacteria) Probiotics help keep unhealthy bacteria and yeasts (flora), such as candida, in check, reducing your susceptibility to vaginal infections.

Drink water
Check you are drinking enough water. We should all consume 6 to 8 glasses of water or herbal tea, a day. This keeps your tissues (vagina as well as skin etc.) hydrated and plumped up, without water tissue dries up and can crack.

Get moving
Regular exercise can help keep your vagina supple and lubricated. Aim for at least 30 minutes moderate exercise five to six times a week. In addition, practise Kegel exercises regularly, as these can help strengthen your pelvic muscles making sex more enjoyable.



 

[Maryjane]

I eat as above , walk 3-5 every day without fail don't do kegels as contrary to popular belief not everyone should ( I see a women's health physio ) .


I admin a group for VA and I have quite a few nutritionists one it who the majority use local oestrogen, so I hope it helps but once VA takes hold band causes old episiotomies to split open no amount of diet will help, but a good diet exercise is obviously very important for a while body approach whatever age.

I fully appreciate this is the alternative thread but I see so often & women feel they have let themselves down if they don't follow the above ( so many in my group have & do with minimal success) .

An over tight pelvic floor can cause as many problems as a loose one as it's not just about tightness it's about relaxation also.

[Kathleen]

Hello Jari.

 I have been whole food, plant based for years because of it's  anti inflammatory effect and  I credit this with helping to keep my Ulcerative Colitis in remission. However I have now been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis so clearly my diet hasn't prevented another auto immune disease from developing.  I have also come off HRT and having issues with anxiety although this could be due to Hashimoto's.

I haven't changed my way of eating but I am disappointed that it hasn't been as marvellous as advertised. 

I am pleased that you are faring well but some of us seem to need a range of treatments to negotiate this time in our life.

Take care.

K.

[CLKD]

LIVE is the important part of yoghurt.  Being organic/natural makes no difference  .  It has to be plain with no fruits as this will alter the acidity.  I have found the Greek LIVE the best.  Large spoonfuls several times a day.  Discovered this after several session of surgical interventions in a short space of time ........ which left me with thrush and generally feeling unwell.

Eaten and applied  but do keep pots separate  .  Application into the vagina as high up as possible helps ease thrush in the vagina - I used to lay on a warmed bath towel on the bed and spoon as much up there as possible.  Then doze.  Soothing and cooling if nowt else  . 

When my dog had chemo therapy tablets she had heartburn and would happily lick LIVE yoghurt off a spoon.  It seemed to ease her symptoms too. 

I have been raised on good quality home grown foods ......... still developed VA  .  HORMONES   

Also as someone who had breast surgery there are certain foods that I ought to be avoiding.  Apparently 

[Sparrow]

I don't think diet is the whole answer but it must be a big part of it.  Food is the fuel for the whole body and if what we eat is lacking in someway, it must have an impact.

Two other factors, I think, are stress and the environment.  It's well known that stress has physical consequences and that hormones affect stress and stress affects hormones.  Then again the environment we live in can be a positive or negative.  Pollution, chemicals in our built environment and home etc., All these  can cause problems, and are often a factor in autoimmune illnesses.  I read about a study recently that found women who had access to green open spaces had a later menopause.

Oops, I forgot genetics which is always a factor.

[CLKD]

Oh would be interested in that Shadyglade!   I have no history of grandmas/aunts but they were raised in the countryside - so deep in the countryside that grass still grows up the middle of the lanes  . Pity it wasn't talked about when I was a child.

[Jari]

Hi Kathleen

I don't know much about your other conditions, but I'm wondering if you've tried a lectin free diet?

X

[Dierdre]

I eat a very healthy diet but I'm afraid it didn't stop the VA, hopefully it will benefit everywhere else though.  I agree with Shadyglade that stress definately does play a big part with our physical wellbeing and hormones.

[Jari]

I totally agree with Shadyglade too, stress levels play a big part in keeping our own hormone levels in balance. X

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

I agree that stress must be a factor in how we experience the menopause but of course feeling unwell, not getting enough sleep,  unusual aches and pains etc are also part of the menopause and can in themselves be stress inducing. For example when I'm tired and wired I also feel very stressed and worry about many things but when the horrible jitters depart and I feel rested my mood improves and I can even experience optimism!

Take care everyone.

K.

 

[Tc]

Thank you for that info  jari. 

.  I have got away with a pretty unhealthy lifestyle for years. Including poor diet with seemingly few consequences and still remained and felt healthy.   Then i went into surgical meno and boom!!!  My body isnt able to cope with it anymore and is complaining.

I have Gilbert's disease and for the first time in my life I have associated symptoms. I'm only just realising that HRT  won't make up for the effects of poor diet and lifestyle on things like Gilbert's.  There is no treatment. It's about diet and lifestyle so I know changes need to be made.

Xx 

[CLKD]

What causes Gilbert's syndrome?

Gilbert's syndrome is a genetic disorder that runs in families.

People with the syndrome have a faulty gene, which causes the liver to have problems removing bilirubin from the blood.

Normally, when red blood cells reach the end of their life (after about 120 days), haemoglobin, the red pigment that carries oxygen in the blood, breaks down into bilirubin.

The liver converts bilirubin into a water-soluble form, which passes into bile and is eventually removed from the body in pee or poo.

"Gilbert's Syndrome"

Bilirubin gives pee its light yellow colour and poo its dark brown colour.

In Gilbert's syndrome, the faulty gene means that bilirubin is not passed into bile, a fluid produced by the liver to help with digestion, at the normal rate.

Instead, it builds up in the bloodstream, giving the skin and white of the eyes a yellowish tinge.

Other than inheriting the faulty gene, there are no known risk factors for developing Gilbert's syndrome.

It's not related to lifestyle habits, environmental factors or serious underlying liver problems, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis C.

[Tc]

Thanks CLKD.  I should have explained what it is.

 Yes its genetic. A recessive gene mutation.

whilst factors such as lifestyle, infection or environment dont actually cause it,  they can affect it.

This From British liver trust Gilbert's

"Jaundice may become more obvious if you become stressed, ill with an infection (particularly a viral illness), starved or dehydrated ? conditions not in themselves related to the disorder. Menstruation might also be a factor in sparking off higher bilirubin levels"

It can have  symptoms other than jaundice. .it's believed 2 out of 3  people with it report  symptoms. 

This from Gilbert's syndrome.org

"Many of the resulting symptoms of our liver's reduced ability to do the cleaning it's designed to ? jaundice, nausea, fatigue, shakiness, bowel complaints, vomiting, ?brain-fog? or difficulty concentrating, are experienced in varying degrees by those with GS"

"hormones can trigger Gilbert's Syndrome symptoms, the menopause in women being a key lifestage trigger" end quote. .


So Whilst lifestyle factors dont cause Gilbert's they can be important in managing symptoms. 

I've just found out some vitamin supplements may be best avoided.

"Avoid supplements containing high levels of vitamin A, niacin (vitamin B3), and high vitamin D".


 https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-a-liver-condition/liver-conditions/gilberts-syndrome/#symptoms