Staying in control

> A quality soy isoflavone product can help right the imbalance in perimenopausal women

FOR A few months, 48-yearold Pat had felt a heavy burden on her shoulders. As a working mother with a household to manage and an elderly mother to care for, she had her hands full.

Although this juggling of various responsibilities had never been a problem before, Pat had recently been experiencing physical and emotional changes which affected her ability to cope.

Pat noticed that there were now many fine lines across her eyes, while her skin was dry and dull. Her weight had also steadily increased over the years.

She constantly felt heaty, even with the air conditioner switched on. This also affected her sleep at night.

Tired and fed up, Pat was snapping more often at her children, which created further tension in the household. Her husband also kept well away when her dark clouds loomed.

Pat had noticed the signs in herself, but felt unable to pick herself up. She was quite sure she was not menopausal, although her periods had been irregular.

Unknown to Pat, she was going through a phase of life that every woman must face – midlife crisis.

Malaysian women have, on average, a lifespan of 77 years. Hence, midlife in women would be around the age of 39 years, and is known scientifically by the term perimenopause, which is the transition between child-bearing age and menopause.

It is a time when hormonal imbalances are expected, which translates to a time of emotional, physical, and psychological change for the woman.

Hormonal balance is essential to all aspects of a woman’s reproductive life.

As estrogen affects more than 400 different functions in the body, it is no surprise that women may start noticing various symptoms, such as a change in menstruation (lighter or heavier flows), body aches and pains, weight gain, skin dryness, vaginal dryness, temperature intolerance (mini hot flushes), and so on.

It is important for women to provide their body with the support that it needs, so that it can cope when hormonal changes occur.

Chemical type hormone replacement therapies can add hormones to the body, but cannot regulate its levels.

Natural plant-based phytoestrogens, on the other hand, have the ability to mimic the actions of estrogen in the body.

Soy isoflavones comprise the best-researched category of phytoestrogen used in the management of symptoms associated with hormonal upsand-downs.

Here are some helpful tips how to choose a quality soy isoflavone product:

Choose organic: Nobody wants to have additional chemicals in their product, especially one used for their hormonal care.

Therefore, do choose a certified organic soy isoflavone for peace of mind.

Active ingredient: When selecting a quality soy isoflavone product, simply look for the ingredients genistein and diadzein, to be sure that your product contains the active isoflavones that have been proven to work.

Double standardisation: Most soy extracts are standardised to about 40% of soy isoflavones, but this isn’t enough.

Choose a formula which also standardises the active ingredients genistein and diadzein for optimal hormonal benefits.

Upon learning about organic genistein, Pat decided that she ought to give it a try. She found the organic genistein at her local pharmacy, and took it.

Three months later, Pat feels like a new woman. She is looking better, she feels much more energised, and wakes up with more optimism to do the things that she can.

Pat has also taken to a new fitness regime and is on her way to a healthier lifestyle. Her children have also noticed their mother being more relaxed, which has also helped them to open up to her.

Even Pat’s husband has noticed the change, and jokingly tells her how he is getting to know his ‘new wife’ all over again.

Organic genistein is available at leading independent pharmacies nationwide as well as at Guardian, Caring, AA and Big Pharmacy.

This article is brought to you by Nuvanta Nuvaceuticals division. For more, contact 03-5636 3758 or email pharmacist@nuvanta.com.