Over the next few articles, we will be looking at symptoms and complications associated with peri-menopause and menopause.

We’ll start with one of the less well known problems that women face, which is an increase in blood pressure.

The reason this symptom isn’t directly always related to menopause is because of other health issues concurrently existing along with it, such as (simply) aging.

The reason I want to include this in the list of symptoms that should be addressed at peri-menopuase and menopause is that it is a symptom that number one, you shouldn’t overlook; and number two, it is very easy to treat naturally.

To look at what causes blood pressure to increase as a woman begins and moves along through the transition of change, we have to look at other symptoms that could be stressing out the body.

As we know, stress and anxiety are the root cause of high blood pressure.  That’s why it is a tag-along to so many health complications.  The stress can come in any form, whether it is environmental or in this case biological and psychological.  Hypertension if frequently induced by a one-two punch of direct and indirect complications.

As a woman’s hormone activity begins to fluxuate due to decreased hypothalamic sensitivity to estrogen, other organs in the body are affected.  Almost every organ is going to show signs of stress of hormone imbalance, and this triggers a number of symptoms.

Add to that the fact that estrogen production begins to dwindle as well, and you have the makings of a perfect storm that will batter even the healthiest of blood pressure.

Changing hormone activity is in itself enough to affect blood pressure for most people.  This is because the blood vessels, heart, and lungs are all affected by hormones in the system.  Upset that fruit basket and you’re going to see high blood pressure.

During peri-menopause, this may be the very first symptom to indicate that there is a change coming.  Because it can take a few years for other symptoms to begin occurring, a woman (or more likely her doctor) might chalk this new problem up to simply seeing all the new ‘fun’ that awaits being the other side of 35.

It isn’t unlikely to start seeing weight gain, changes in muscle tone and random pain as well during this time, which are all typically attributed to “you’re not getting any younger.” These symptoms can all cause high blood pressure as well.

The problem is, though, that getting older isn’t a disease. It’s not something you’d want to cure (the alternative to getting older is NOT getting older and we’re not after that).  Menopause, likewise, is a normal change of life and is a process that is natural.  You wouldn’t want to cure that, either.

The difference is, though, that symptoms attributed to general aging are most of the time treated separately since they aren’t usually linked as all being caused by menopause or peri-menopause till a woman approaches and passes 50.

This process can start as early as age 30.  Considering that the average life span for a US woman is 84, I reject that “aging” should be used as an excuse for high blood pressure or other symptoms, when a common link, whose symptoms can all be traced to a more specific and focused process exists.

Menopause symptoms range from mood swings, irritability, and insomnia to pain, osteoporosis and hot flashes.  There are a couple dozen commonly reported symptoms, and each one of them separately has the ability to spike blood pressure.

This is the one-two punch nature of the change.  Hormone changes can directly affect blood pressure; but on top of that, symptoms that cause high blood pressure are also caused by hormone changes.  It’s like being trapped in a room full of mirrors with nowhere to hide.

Thankfully, there are inexpensive and natural treatments for making the transition easier to experience. And as we have found with Christian’s high blood pressure program, eliminating stress and anxiety is one way to get started.  This is a good jumping-off point if you are experiencing high blood pressure, mood swings, anxiety, irritability and/or depression.

If you are experiencing these and a handful (or bushel full) of other menopause symptoms, then it might be time to consider a more comprehensive approach to taming the problems so you can enjoy the change, not suffer from it.

A comprehensive approach should combine lifestyle, diet and supplement changes, and are all outlined in an easy-to-follow program I designed with the peri-menopausal woman in mind.

Remember, too, that dwindling testosterone levels in men, (commonly called Andropause) will cause a lot of the same symptoms, and this will also be addressed in the guide-it’s not just for women.

Keep watching those emails, as we will be launching the Natural Menopause Solution very soon.  In the meantime, check out Christian Goodman’s Hypertension No More here.

Healthy Regards,

Julissa Clay

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