Gaia Women's Balance (menopause, pms, ovulation)

[Molly]

I started dealing with my cycles going out-of-whack about 2 years ago, also being very hormonal, getting acne every time I'd ovulate or get my period.
I went for an OB-GYN visit & after $3,800 of tests was told they can not find anything like cancer or cysts causing it.
They suggested hormonal birth control but I didn't want to go that route because it isn't natural & also I've not been able to conceive after having an IUD placed incorrectly in me about 8 years ago (removed after 5 years of having it in, OB/GYN did not check to see the position of my uterus before placement & tried to force it in.. yeah, it wasn't pretty.. stupid doctor!)

So I looked into natural supplements & found Gaia Women's Balance. This product is actually for women going through menopause, but I'm only 32, not going through menopause.. but when I researched the ingredients & what they do, they sounded like something that might work for me.

HOLY COW has it! I'm not joking. I started taking it 6 months ago & so far my past 3 periods have been right on cue, I get little to no cramps, no hormone acne, nothing.
My only gripe about it is that the first couple months of taking it, I got a slight cramping feeling in my gut, not like with menses cramps but constipation.. something in it made me get constipated at first.. Then I realized I was taking 3 of them a day at once instead of 1, 3 times a day like it said to do on the bottle (derp!). Once I started taking them like I was supposed to, the cramping/constipation stopped.

Here's the ingredients:
Black cohosh (600mg)
Proprietary extract blend (1,290 mg):
alfalfa leaf, red clover tops, chaste tree berry (vitex), dandelion root & dandelion leaf, st John's wort,
wild oats, fresh milky seed, vervain herb, sage leaf..

I kind of wish I knew the exact amounts of each thing so I could possibly either grow them all & make my own or buy the herbs from a source I know grows organic & sustainable then make it myself or in a tea. But I've not heard anything negative about Gaia company so far so I'm guessing it'll be all good.

Anyways just thought some may find the info useful

[chocolate]

http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Doct...=UTF8&sr=&qid=
http://www.amazon.com/John-Lees-Horm...d_sim_kstore_1

The time I discovered those book I was around your age too. It took me half of an year to experience balance, by adding single herbs to my daily routine. Right now, several years later, everything is quite regular.

Those book are very helpful because they give you the background information on the hormones involved, suggest herbs and food to help with the different balance problems, and also what lifestyle changes to make that would have an effect on your body. I have the books as paper editions, otherwise I would share a digital copy.

I have found single supplements that do the job well.
For example only Vitex 400mg taken during the first two weeks 1 pill 2 times a day can regulate your OV.

You can use dandelion, nettle, vervain and spearmint as teas, valerian as drops (this is a very popular herb used by our ancestors to calm the body/mind) and add to your food maca powder (Lepidium meyenii) and aswagandha (Withania somnifera). From my experience teas and food are better suited for the body than tablets.
Another useful books is related to the food that you eat:
http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Recovery-...9189405&sr=1-2

http://www.iherb.com/product-reviews...ules/2053/?p=1 or http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pag...id=321&cid=164

If you have a problem with DHT (excess testosterone later Dihydrotestosterone, compared to estrogen) saw palmetto also can help (this is not just a herb for the guys).

I would suggest to read the first book, just to understand the complexity of the different balance problems, and after that to see how to translate it into less supplements and proper diet/lifestyle.
Standard medicine will not help here (again). Even the tests are quite useless since the hormonal level fluctuates during the day what is left during one full OV period. Tests can give an overall idea of the hormonal levels, but not a very specific one.

[Student_Energy_Healer]

Thanks for the info Molly!

They sell this supplement in the UK! Fantastic!

[silverfish]

Thanks for the info . I have been changing over the past few years and its difficult to know what is what at the mo just that everything is in flux . my cycle is regular I think ! I kinda let things happen as they happen rather than keep a check or maybe that is the vagueness that has set in and forgetfulness , don't forget the forgetfulness . I am definitely going to check out your supplements molly and the books to chocolate.
One thing I did do a few years back was change over to using a moon cup It made an enormous difference to my cramping during my period but also to the number of days my period lasted also because it was as heavy during the night as it was during the day it was quicker .
silver

[chocolate]

Just an honest suggestion- take these pills with care. They are supposedly helping for the transition periods .
http://www.gaiaherbs.com/products/de...Womens-Balance
Quote:
"Throughout a woman's lifetime, her body naturally goes through transitional hormonal states. Keeping the body and mind balanced through the hormonal fluctuations of PMS and menopause is vital to maintaining an optimal quality of life."


For example Black cohosh helps mostly during menopause- and if you are still in your reproductive age it can do more harm than good.

That is why I suggested reading the books first- every woman is specific and the time when you need some supplementation varies.

Some of us need supplements for the period after taking oral contraceptives (some still do take those pills, unfortunately), while others experience out of balance hormonal status after being on a very restrictive diet, or after significant amount and/or longer periods of stress leading to adrenal exhaustion. Oftentimes those problems combine with hypothyroidism.

As always if you are looking for a pill to solve the problems, you might actually create more of the same in the longer run. Our bodies are quite complex machines and need a more complex solutions. Best so far I have discovered is a good food and a proper lifestyle. But everyone is free to choose.

Regarding moon cups, I have a problem with them. Silicone or plastic in my body doesn't work well with me. The moon cup is the better tampon, nothing more.

[Molly]

Ah, good info there, chocolate! I also started taking ashawagandha around the same time, due to my stress issues.. that might be helping as far as the moodiness goes. I did not know about black cohosh being potentially harmful. Hmm I may have to check those books out then to get a better understanding of the whole hormonal process and what may be better for my body. It seems easier, safer & cheaper for me to visit a library & purchase or grow herbs &/or supplements than it is to pay $120 to go into the docs office then $1,000-$2,000 for each test they want to run, then $70-$150 for any 'medicine'..ugh..

I've not had my hormones checked since pregnant with my son 12 years ago, it's been a while.. but my doctor did tell me that I was a bit too high in testosterone and not enough estrogen.

[chocolate]

Molly, if you feel better with the pills I think they are what you might need.
Just check the books to see if they will give you some more information. I had to go a long road before seeing the bigger part of the picture. I had been for a long time on contraceptives, under a lot of physical and emotional stress, so I had to endure the full blow of this situation.

I am sharing what I have learned in hope to be of help to someone else, but I don't necessarily think that I am always right.

You might just have a disrupted balance between estrogen and testosterone. In today's world with all the plastic around and all the food filled with estrogen (in order for the animals to grow bigger faster) we are overwhelmed by artificial, not natural to our bodies estrogen. That in reverse can make us deficient because that artificial estrogen connects with the receptors of the body and they in turn send information to the brain that there is enough of it already in the body, while at the same time it is not the one natural to us.

I hope you, and all of us, feel better and better .

[GloriousPoetry]

Molly,

I recommend you read this excellent book.....Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr. Christiane Northrup. I also recommend you look up this company Reliv International and their product called soysentials...