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Today's topic
Hello, and welcome to my video blog. And today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to talk about three more surprising symptoms of the menopause.
And it's amazing how many ladies come to me with symptoms that have just suddenly appeared. And they feel, maybe, very strange or very unusual, and they're wondering whether these can be attributed to the menopause. And very often, they can be, one way or another.
1. Bad breath
So number one is bad breath. And this is a horrible one because it just, you know, puts us in a difficult situation when we're talking to other people, especially if we're aware that we have got bad breath.
Why menopause can cause it
What happens is really quite simple. As your oestrogen falls, this can affect the hydration of all the mucous membranes in the body, and that will include the mouth.
Your saliva has a very certain level, a pH level if you like, and that helps to keep your mouth clean and healthy. So if your mouth starts to dry out, then the saliva decreases, which then allows unfriendly bacteria to get into the mouth. They can start breeding in between the gums and the teeth because very often, your gums can start to recede in the menopause as well, and this can cause further problems. And that can then set up the bad breath.
We also know that the liver gets really stressed in the menopause, too. And there does seem to be a link between digestion and bad breath as well. So if you're having other digestive problems and you've got bad breath as well, then it might be an idea just to try and sort the digestive problems, and that might sort things out for you a little bit.
Helpful tips to prevent it:
Get regular checkups & maintain good oral hygiene
Main thing to do, go and see your dentist. Make sure you get regular checkups. You can get blocked saliva ducts as well, so it may not necessarily be attributed to the menopause.
So it's always good to double-check this particular side of it as well. Make sure you sip water regularly. Obviously, brush your teeth well.
Try using natural toothpaste
If you're getting a sore mouth as well, then maybe look for more natural toothpaste. A lot of the toothpaste that you buy over the counter, they're absolutely chock-a-block full of chemicals, and these will not help your mouth either.
So go for ones that tend not to have sodium laureth sulfate and other sort of nasties in them, and that in itself can sometimes make quite a big difference.
Sea buckthorn oil for dry mouth
The other thing that you can try, especially if your mouth is getting a bit dry is a supplement called sea buckthorn oil. And this is known to work on all mucous membranes' dryness. This can help with your eyes, vaginal dryness, and dry skin, too. So it's a nice all-around supplement to take.
Limit your sugar & caffeine intake
Try and avoid a lot of sugary foods because they will feed the bad bacteria, and also try to avoid sugary drinks and caffeine as well.
Little bit difficult, but the main thing here, see the dentist, and make sure you're drinking plenty of water.
2. Feeling thirsty
The second surprising symptom is that you feel thirsty all the time.
Why menopause can cause it
But to be honest, especially if you're getting hot flushes and night sweats, this should not be surprising at all, because what happens when your oestrogen starts to fall, this can interfere with your body's water balance.
It affects the water-controlling hormones, and you can end up generally dehydrated. So you may not know that you're dehydrated, but your body is literally crying out for water.
Now, if you're watching this real-time, it's July and here in the UK, we've had an extremely hot summer.
Even here up in Scotland, we're loving the hot weather, but this will make you extra dehydrated, and that can affect your thirst. So you can find yourself getting a lot more thirsty or realising you're thirsty when you've never really noticed it before.
Helpful tips to prevent it:
Stay hydrated
For those of you who are already drinking plenty of water, and well done for that, this extra heat can dehydrate you further, so you may need to up your water even a little bit more. It's surprising, I mean, I try and drink plenty of water every day, but even I'm drinking a little bit more because I'm getting that little bit extra thirsty during the day.
Avoid dehydrating drinks
The other thing you can look at is to not drink dehydrating drinks, so that would be things like your caffeine, again, your fizzy drinks, and fruit juices as well.
Eat water-rich foods
Look at your diet, too. You could be increasing water-rich foods, so that would be things like cucumber, your melons, your berries, celery, all your salad leaves because these are foods that are naturally high in water, so making sure you have plenty in your daily diet can help towards keeping yourself lovely and hydrated.
Watch your salt intake
You can watch your salt level as well. Too much salt can put your dehydration levels up, so make sure that you're keeping your salt to a minimum.
Sage for sweating & hot flushes
If hot flushes and sweats are an issue, you've got the Sage tablets, and that can help in some small way, too.
A.Vogel Menoforce Sage Tablets for Menopausal Hot Flushes and Night Sweats, One-a-Day, 30 tablets
£15.99 (30 tablets) In Stock Get it tomorrow, 28th November.
What to be aware of
The only really important thing with this is if you are feeling thirsty all the time, if you find that you're having to run to the toilet an awful lot, if you're drinking a lot as well, this whole package can indicate other health issues such as diabetes, so it's really important that you get this one checked out by your doctor as soon as you can, just to maybe rule it out.
3. Nose bleeds
Number three is nose bleeds. And we found we've had quite a few ladies with this particular problem.
Why menopause can cause it
Again, all that's happening here, in most instances, is that the falling oestrogen is affecting the mucous membranes of the nose. It's drying the nose out, and your nasal membranes, if you like, are getting thinner, so the nasal passages are getting more brittle, so you can end up with nose bleeds.
The skin is also getting more sensitive, so again, in the summer just now, this year, we've had a really very bad hayfever season. And a lot of women are finding that they're maybe getting hayfever for the first time, but all the pollen, and the dust, and the pollution can all irritate the nasal membranes, and that can then trigger nose bleeds as well.
Helpful tips to prevent it:
Sea Buckthorn oil for dryness
So look at things like sea buckthorn oil. It's a lovely one to help with that as well.
Ease hayfever with a natural remedy
If you are getting things like hayfever, if you're finding it particularly bad, if you're doing a lot of sneezing, then we have our Pollinosan Hayfever tablets.
Soothe your dry nose
If your nose is generally just feeling very sort of dry and sore, we've got the Sinuforce Extra Soothing Nose Spray.
So these are things that you can try just to ease things whilst the weather is still really hot and dry.
Check your medication
Some medications might cause nose bleeds. And it's amazing how many people don't actually read the patient's information leaflet that's in with their medications, so if you're getting any strange symptoms at all, and you're on prescribed medication, then just make sure that you read the patient information leaflet in case it's associated with that.
Soothing steam
You can also do some steaming. Some people find that that helps the mucous membranes and to calm everything down, so that's a nice one. You can try maybe in the evening.
Get your blood pressure checked
The other thing, too, if you're getting a lot of nose bleeds is to double-check with your doctor, and ask to get your blood pressure taken because it can be a sign that your blood pressure has risen.
And blood pressure rising is a really common symptom in the menopause, and it's one of these ones, it has hidden symptoms. A lot of women don't realise they've got high blood pressure until something serious happens. So any little sign like nose bleeds, just ask to get your blood pressure checked as well.
So as you can see, there's a number of surprising symptoms in the menopause. If any of you have any other symptoms that you're not sure whether they're menopause-related or not, please do ask. Have a good week and in this hot, hot weather, remember to drink loads and loads of water.
And I'll see you again next week for another edition of A.Vogel Talks Menopause.
