What is Menopause?
Menopause is a period which all women will go through during their lifetime. Women will encounter menopause during their late forties and fifties. Some women will go through menopause period sooner and longer than others. Clinically, menopause is diagnosed in women who have not menstruated in more than 12 months.
What Causes Menopause?
A woman is born with a certain set number of eggs which are stored in the ovaries. The ovaries also make the hormones oestrogen and progesterone which control menstruation and ovulation. Menopause happens when the ovaries no longer release an egg every month and menstruation ceases to occur.
What are the Stages of Natural Menopause?
Natural menopause means that menopause is not induced by surgical treatment or procedures. It occurs when a woman no longer produces eggs and as such, she stops menstruating. The process is gradual and has three stages:-
- Perimenopause
This stage may occur several years before actual menopause and occurs due to the fact that less eggs are being produced. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.
- Menopause
This is the stage where a woman has stopped menstruating for more than 12 months and has stopped producing eggs and therefore less oestrogen.
- Post-menopause
This is the stage where menopause has officially stopped, and menopausal symptoms will stop or ease off. Health risks however, as a result of the lack of oestrogen, increase.
Symptoms
Most women approaching menopause will have hot flushes, a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the upper body, often with blushing and some sweating. The severity of hot flushes varies from mild in most women, to severe in others.
Other common symptoms around the time of menopause include irritability, racing heart, headaches, joint and muscle aches and pains, changes in libido, vaginal dryness, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue and depression.
Menopil Plus
Menopil Plus is a western herbal supplement which was scientifically formulated to provide support for menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweating, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, irritability and sleeplessness.
Menopil Plus has the only formulation of its kind in South Africa and provides a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy which has shown to have some serious side-effects.
Who should take Menopil Plus?
- All women who are in pre-menopause or menopause that suffer from menopausal symptoms.
How long should Menopil Plus be taken?
- The effects of Menopil Plus are often felt within a few days but it can take up to 2 months for relief to set in.
- For best results Menopil Plus should be taken continuously and not only when symptoms arise.
Dosage and instructions for use:-
- Take 1 capsule 2 times daily- 1 in the morning and 1 in the late afternoon after a meal and at least 300ml of water.
- Dosage can be reduced to 1 capsule daily if mild side-effects such as headaches occur. Dosage can then be gradually increased to 1 capsule 2 times a day.
- Taking at least 300ml of water is essential when taking Menopil Plus.
INGREDIENTS
Black Cohosh Extract 2.5% 160mg
Red Clover Extract 8% 100mg
Angelica Root Extract 1% 150mg
Avovida* 150mg
BLACK COHOSH EXTRACT
- Reduces severity of hot flushes
- Reduces frequency of hot flushes
Black cohosh contains potent phytochemicals that have an effect on the endocrine system. How it works is not yet clear. It is widely used in the United States, Australia, and Germany. The German government has approved it as a prescription alternative to hormone therapy.
Black Cohosh has played a vital role in relieving symptoms endured by women during menopause. Whilst the exact working of Black Cohosh has not been established, it has shown to be successful in relieving the severity of hot flushes.
In a study conducted in 2018, 80 women were randomly divided into 2 groups of 40. The one group was given a supplementation of Evening Primrose Oil and the other a supplementation of Black Cohosh Extract.
According to the results of this study, both black cohosh and primrose oil can be used as an effective alternative treatment in relieving of severity of hot flushes and improvement of quality of life in menopausal period, but it seems that black cohosh is more effective than primrose oil because it was able to reduce the number of hot flushes too.
RED CLOVER EXTRACT
- Reduces severity of hot flushes
- Stabilizes hormone levels and loss of bone mass
- Reduces Vaginal Dryness
- Decreases anxiety levels and depression
Red clover is a wild plant belonging to the legume family. Cattle and other animals graze on red clover. It has also been used medicinally to treat several conditions including cancer, whooping cough, respiratory problems, and skin inflammations, such as psoriasis and eczema. Healthcare practitioners believe that red clover “purified” the blood by acting as a diuretic (helping the body get rid of excess fluid) and expectorant (helping clear lungs of mucous), improving circulation, and helping cleanse the liver.
Red Clover (RC) has arisen as a popular source for women experiencing Hot Flushes because it contains a variety of phytoestrogen’s, namely isoflavones, lignans and coumestans. Phytoestrogens are shown to have positive effects on menopausal disorders such as breast cancer, cardiovascular risk factors, osteoporosis and have been shown to exert non-hormonal antioxidant effects. Additionally, these isoflavones appear to reduce bone resorption, help maintain bone mineral density and improve lipid profile.
RC is particularly high in estrogenic isoflavones biochanin A, formononetin and to a lesser degree genistein and daidzein, although the two former are precursors to genistein and daidzein. Asian populations with a high intake of soy (rich in genistein and daidzein) have long shown a lower reported incidence of the symptoms of menopause.
In recent studies conducted, it was shown that Red Clover extract may reduce the severity of hot flushes and can stabilize hormone levels and the rate of loss of bone mass.
The study was conducted by Danish Associate Professor, PhD, Per Bendix Jeppesen, who headed a new, as-yet-unpublished study at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital
In the study the following results were found:
The three-month treatment led to a 32% reduction in hot flushes and those that did occur were less severe. This is an average figure, i.e. some of the women had a 60% while others only had a 20% reduction.
The women who took the red clover extract experienced a slowdown of bone loss, while those who took the placebo displayed significant bone loss.
The women’s estrogens were better balanced, and that triggered fewer hot flushes. In contrast to women treated with human oestrogens, the women in this study did not complain about side effects of their treatment.
Red-clover extract may help symptoms of vaginal dryness in healthy, postmenopausal women.
The finding comes from a study of 29 women who took a red-clover supplement.
For eight weeks, half the women took the red clover supplement and half took an identical looking placebo. After a two-week washout period, the women switched treatments for another eight weeks.
When the women were taking the red clover supplement, they had less vaginal dryness. Oestrogen does the same thing — but it also increases postmenopausal cancer risk by thickening the inner layer of the uterus. The red clover supplement did not have this effect.
One study conducted during 2009 also found that red clover significantly reduces anxiety and depression levels.
ANGELICA ROOT EXTRACT
- Increases Libido & oestrogen levels
During menopause, the loss of natural ovarian function often leads to the development of endocrine disorders, which ultimately lead to serious health consequences in women. During the menopausal transition, the synthesis of ovarian hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone progressively decrease, while the secretion of gonadotropic hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) increase; consequently, menopausal symptoms prevail.
For thousands of years, Angelica Root (dong quai) has mainly been turned to by women, as it has a unique ability to regulate oestrogen levels within the body.
Studies have shown that dong quai in various forms can increase male and female libido levels.
According to studies Dong quai, due to its invigorating and arousing properties, has been linked with reducing depression and has also shown to increase bone density in menopausal women.
AVOVIDA
Avovida and Soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) constitute vegetable extracts made from fruits and seeds of avocado and soybean oil. Avovida® has shown in clinical studies, to relieve the severity of hot flushes and assist in the treatment of disorders associated with menopause, such as osteoarthritis.
Avovida® is indicated as a healthy alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) which has shown to have serious long term effects, the most common of which is vaginal bleeding. Avovida® is safe to take for extended periods with no side effects. 
