Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I take a look at why menopause can cause strange tastes in your mouth, including the three common tastes that can occur.
Can menopause cause a strange taste in the mouth?
Many women can experience strange or bad tastes in their mouth during menopause such as a metallic taste, a bitter taste, or a salty taste. Falling oestrogen is often the primary cause, however low levels of zinc, dehydration, sinus infections, and other health conditions such as diabetes can also contribute to or cause this problem.
Why does menopause cause a strange taste in your mouth?
As mentioned above, there can be several reasons, but primarily, it is caused by falling oestrogen. Women often find that this can also happen just before a period as well, again due to hormonal fluctuations that occur at that time.
It can be due to dryness. A dry mouth is a common menopause symptom that is also a result of falling oestrogen, which can cause less production of saliva. And that in itself can cause the taste to be completely different.
Also, your sense of smell can change during menopause. Some women find that their smell becomes much more acute and that can affect your taste too because smell and taste are sometimes very, very closely linked together.
Strange tastes you can experience during menopause
So let's take a look at 3 of the common tastes you can experience and as well as falling oestrogen, what else could cause or contribute to these bad or strange tastes.
1. Metallic taste in the mouth
This is very often due to low zinc. So sometimes, just taking a daily zinc supplement can make a difference quite quickly. You would be looking at roughly 15 milligrams a day and you would just take that ongoing.
It can also be caused by dehydration. Remember, dehydration can affect mucous membranes anywhere in the body and that includes the tongue and the mouth.
It can be sometimes because you're breathing through your mouth all the time, rather than doing nasal breathing. It can also be linked to diabetes and can be linked to low blood sugar levels.
If you try all the tips, like the zinc and drinking plenty of water daily, and you find that the metallic taste is continuing, then it is best to get this checked by your doctor to rule out diabetes.
2. Bitter taste in the mouth
This, believe it or not, can be due to acid reflux. If you find that you're also getting an acidic taste, if you're getting a lot of indigestion and discomfort when you're eating, then it could be coming from your stomach.
It can also be due to burning mouth syndrome or burning tongue, which is very common during menopause. Again, it can be due to diabetes, so best to get it double-checked with your doctor.
It can be smoking, as this can affect your taste buds. It could be a sinus infection. So, again, if you're getting a lot of congestion around here, then that can affect your taste because this is affecting your smell.
3. Salty taste in the mouth
This, again, can be due to low zinc so taking a zinc supplement may help. It can also be due to thrush. So, if you're getting a salty taste but you also find that you're getting a kind of white coating on the tongue regularly, then maybe, you need to just get that checked with your doctor.
It can also be an overproduction of mucus and sometimes, it can be due to postnasal drip, too. So if you find that you're getting a lot of catarrh and mucus, that can be a factor. And obviously, that would need to be addressed.
How to keep your mouth healthy during menopause
Get regular checkups with your dentist, and practice good dental hygiene, too.
Sometimes, going through menopause, your gums can become very sensitive, so maybe, look towards going for natural toothpaste and to have mouthwashes that don't contain alcohol, because alcohol can be very drying and that can affect your taste buds.
Try to avoid really hot, spicy, high salt, and high sugar foods because they can all affect the state of your gums.
Try a Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement if you find that dryness is an issue or you're not producing enough saliva.
Sometimes, if you find it difficult to break your food down and your mouth is getting really dry, it can indicate a blocked saliva duct. And I know a lot of dentists now tend to check for this. So, maybe, speak to your dentist the next time you see them if you find that this is a particular problem.
Don't forget the water, plenty of water every day.
Also, if you're feeling very sluggish generally, if you're a little bit fatigued, if you're also getting digestive problems like bloating, and wind, and a bit of indigestion, it may be that your liver is struggling. There is a connection between liver function and the mouth, so if your taste is being affected first thing in the morning, then maybe think about doing a gentle liver detox for a month. And that can sometimes be helpful.
So I hope you found this one beneficial. If you have any queries about the mouth, if any of you have suffered any other issues with your mouth and are wanting some answers, then please post your comments below.
Key things to take away from this blog:
- The three strange or bad tastes in the mouth that menopausal women can experience are a metallic taste, a bitter taste, and a salty taste.
- Falling oestrogen levels are usually the primary cause, however low zinc levels, dehydration, health conditions such as diabetes, and sinus problems can both affect your taste buds and cause these strange tastes to occur.
- If you try my suggested tips and nothing helps it is best to consult your doctor or dentist to rule out other possible causes such as diabetes or a blocked salvia duct.
Until next week, take care.
