Menopausal health and ovarian anti-failure multiple choice questions

Let me first give you a heart-wrenching conclusion: there is never an "optimal solution for everyone" when it comes to ovarian resistance during menopause. There is only one core criterion for all choices - your individual physical condition, tolerance and actual needs. If you follow the trend and either believe in hormones or refuse medical intervention at all, you are digging a hole for yourself.

Last week I met two 48-year-old sisters of the same age in the clinic. Their symptoms were almost exactly the same: hot flashes seven or eight times a day, waking up at two or three in the morning, tossing and turning until dawn, and the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in the blood test had dropped to 0.06ng/ml, indicating complete ovarian function decline. But the plans for the two people were completely different: the first one had no family history of cancer, breast and gynecological ultrasounds were all normal, and his bone density had reached the critical value of osteopenia. The doctor prescribed the lowest dose of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). After a follow-up visit half a month later, he said that his sleep was mostly better, he rarely had hot flashes, and even the dry lines on his face had faded a lot. ； The other one had a family history of breast cancer and had grade 3 breast nodules. After trying HRT for three days, the pain was so bad that he couldn't put on underwear. Finally, he was transferred to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department for treatment with kidney-tonifying and liver-tonifying prescriptions, combined with botanical medicine to relieve symptoms. He came back three months later and his condition was stable.

In fact, this is the most real current situation of ovarian anti-aging in menopause: there is no absolute right or wrong, only suitable or inappropriate.

After talking about the hormone issues that everyone is most troubled about, let’s talk about the most frequently asked questions about Internet celebrity supplements in the background. Have you ever been tempted by the coenzyme Q10, DHEA, soy isoflavones, red clover extract, or even the ovarian care essential oil that costs thousands of dollars per set? I have to say that half of it is useful but picky, and the other half is purely IQ tax. Take Coenzyme Q10 as an example. It is indeed friendly to people with reduced ovarian function, fatigue, and myocardial ischemia. It can help relieve fatigue and improve egg quality. However, if you have high blood lipids and are greedy for cheap, you buy the kind of low-priced coenzyme in health food stores that is mixed with a lot of soybean oil. After taking it for three months, your blood lipids may rise faster. There is also the much-hyped DHEA, which should not be touched by people with high androgen levels and prone to acne. I met a 45-year-old sister a while ago. She purchased an overseas ovarian anti-aging kit with a high dose of DHEA in it. After three months of eating it, her hair became heavier, her menstruation became messy, and her endometrium was 14mm thick during ultrasound, and she almost had to have a curettage. Do you think it was a loss? Oh, by the way, there is also the kind of ovarian care that you can do in a beauty salon where you lie down and rub your belly. Don’t believe it. The ovaries are deep in the pelvic cavity and cannot be touched with your hands. It is difficult for essential oils to penetrate even the dermal layer of the skin. You cannot touch the ovaries at all. You just have to pay for the massage.

I should also mention here a different school of thought: Western gynecological endocrinology mainstream believes that as long as there are no contraindications, the benefits of using HRT in early menopause far outweigh the risks. It can not only relieve symptoms, but also prevent osteoporosis and reduce the probability of cardiovascular disease.； However, natural medicine and some schools of traditional Chinese medicine prefer to use exogenous hormones, which will interfere with the operation of the endocrine axis. Especially for people with high-risk factors for tumors, it is more recommended to use botanical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine or lifestyle intervention. Both views are supported by a large number of clinical cases, and no one is absolutely correct.

As for what many people ask, "Is lifestyle adjustment enough?", it really depends on the person. If you only have hot flashes once in a while, your sleep is just a little shallower than before, and there is no other discomfort, then you really don’t need to take medicine. Do aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes three times a week, plus two strength training sessions to build muscles to prevent bone loss. Eat more whole grains, soy products and dark green vegetables, and stay up less late. Any supplement will be more effective. But if you have reached the point where you can't sleep all night long, are so depressed that you cry at every turn, and are losing bone mass quickly, then don't force yourself to do it. Instead, you should find a doctor. If you force yourself away from osteoporosis, fall and break a bone, or suffer from emotional problems, the gains outweigh the losses.

Oh, by the way, there is also the recent hot topic of stem cell ovarian anti-aging. I must pour cold water on it: There are currently no stem cell products approved for ovarian anti-aging in China. All those who say "one shot will rejuvenate and restore youthful menstruation" are all scams. This project is still in the clinical research stage, and its safety and effectiveness have not been fully confirmed. Don't invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in it and end up hurting your body.

In fact, at the end of the day, menopause is a hurdle that everyone has to go through. The ovary is like a warehouse for storing eggs. It is natural for the inventory to be tight when you get older. No one can fill the empty warehouse with inventory out of thin air. All the anti-aging choices we make are not for the purpose of "reverse growth", but to help you close the warehouse door more slowly, so that you can live more comfortably and with less pain in the rest of your life. When you really have to make a choice, don’t just follow the trend and buy what your best friend says is useful, or don’t dare to do any medical intervention after reading two hormone-phobic posts on the Internet. Find a gynecological endocrinology or menopause specialist clinic in a regular hospital, tell the doctor your concerns and your physical condition, and choose the one that suits you best. That is the best answer.