A new advice service designed to help women balance their hormones and potentially help fight off the symptoms of the menopause has been launched in the UK with support from supplement manufacturer Wassen.
The Natural Menopause Advice Service (NMAS) provides information to young women in their 20s and 30s about how the menopause can be managed naturally, without hormone replacement treatment.
Dr Shirley Bond, a doctor specialising in women's health and medical adviser to the NMAS, said that the stress of modern life can be a major factor in the menopause.
"The role of the adrenal glands in the control of stress is pivotal to the outcome. Excessive stress can unbalance the endocrinal system, highjacking those building blocks needed for hormonal health by channelling them into stress hormones instead. This can deprive women of the stability they need as they pass through what should be seamless age stages," she said.
Wassen produces a natural supplement called Confiance providing a balanced combination of eleven important minerals and vitamins which it claims work together to help the body adjust naturally to the complex hormonal changes which take place before and during the menopause. The company cited a study published in the Journal of Sexual Health which showed that taking Confiance daily for three months resulted in a significant improvement in the severity of troublesome symptoms for more than 90 per cent of participants.
Although the NMAS was established with help from Wassen, it will recommend a wide spectrum of natural approaches to health before, during, through and beyond menopause, the organisation said. More information can be found on the NMAS website.