The Importance of Women’s Health on Mother’s Day:
With the month of May comes Mother’s Day, a time where we honor all the moms, grandmothers, and moms-to-be while celebrating the influence they have on us, our families, and our society. Without mothers, not one of us would be here. As a healthcare focused company, we want to highlight not only their importance to us as individuals, but also support the mental and physical well-being of every mother or mother-to-be out there on this day, and every day.
The road to motherhood isn’t always easy. Though many have no trouble, many others spend years trying to conceive, going through difficult treatments for IUI or IVF, some choosing surrogacy, and others opting for adoption. Some become step-mothers or foster-mothers. No matter how a mother comes to be, their all-important impact on future generations is what we all celebrate on Mother’s Day.
Though we take a day every year to celebrate mothers and their importance in our lives, for many years the uniqueness of women when it comes to healthcare was vastly understudied in the research. The good news is things are finally changing. Every year this complex physiology is better understood, giving women the opportunity to know more about themselves and their health.
Knowledge is power. The hope is that we as a society can acknowledge not only the importance of mothers, but also respect the beauty of each and every life stage a woman experiences in their lifetime. By doing so, we can empower women and mothers to take charge of their health, giving future generations the tools to do the same.
It is no secret that women are complex. Our mothers all experience the transition from adolescence to their reproductive years; then most experience the changes associated with pregnancy and birth, and then ultimately the shift into menopause. Assisting women in understanding their physiology and what nourishes their body’s natural cycling and transition periods, make all women active participants in their healthcare, honoring not only their ability to be mothers, but their ability to be strong, healthy, and influential individuals in our world.
All of these stages of womanhood and motherhood are governed by hormones – most notably estrogen and progesterone. The reproductive years are marked by monthly, cyclical fluctuations of both these hormones and when it comes to becoming a mother, this cycling allows for conception and a subsequent healthy pregnancy. When estrogen and progesterone are not in balance (ie. too much estrogen or too little progesterone) women experience not only troubles with fertility, but a number of uncomfortable menstrual symptoms that interfere with living life to the fullest.
That is why some practitioners refer to the menstrual cycle as the “fifth vital sign” – it’s just that important! In this sense, making hormone evaluations mainstream could elucidate an important aspect of each and every woman’s health, no matter where they are in their life. This is done through salivary, urine, or serum measurements of estrogen and progesterone and comparing them, commonly referred to as the Pg/E2 ratio. With this knowledge, the body can be supported in a way that brings these hormones back to balance, easing symptoms and in some cases finally helping those with infertility conceive.
This Pg/E2 ratio, along with additional hormone testing can give women a heads up as to the start of perimenopause. Small changes in hormones, as early as ten years before menopause can result in vague and confusing symptoms. Testing can clue both the practitioner and patient in on the cause of their concerns, and therefore direct more specific treatments to ease the transition. This would include supportive supplements and/or herbal remedies, or in some cases safely using hormone replacement therapies (HRT), such as progesterone supplementation, or a combination of bioidentical estrogen and progesterone.
” Assisting women in understanding their physiology and what nourishes their body’s natural cycling and transition periods, make all women active participants in their healthcare, honoring not only their ability to be mothers, but their ability to be strong, healthy, and influential individuals in our world.”
All of these treatments require an understanding of the uniqueness of women’s health, with practitioner support in recognizing normal versus life-interrupting symptoms. In addition, taking into account the role of stress and cortisol is essential in all cases. Women and all mothers take on a lot of responsibility, frequently leading to a rise in cortisol that can contribute to hormone imbalances. This leads to numerous issues, both physically and mentally.
Mothers are notorious for putting everyone’s needs before their own. They take on extra stress, forgo fitness to take care of what needs to be done, and make sure everything is in working order. Without adequate nutritional and community support their health suffers. Mother’s Day serves as a reminder that we need to make mothers a priority, so they can make their health a priority.
Whether you’re already a mother, a grandmother, a mother-to-be, trying to start a family, or a support person for any of the above, honoring and supporting the physical health and mental well-being of yourself or that person in your life is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day. So this year, let Mother’s Day be the start of self-care, of supporting the mother in your life, whoever that may be.
At LyfeCheck, we know the importance of hormonal, nutritional, and preventive healthcare. We provide advanced and easy to access lab testing to clear up the mystery associated with a number of health conditions and symptoms. For more information or questions please visit www.lyfecheck.com or email support@lyfecheck.com
Happy Mother’s Day!
- Mary Hall, ND, LAc
