Tag Archives: mood swings

The Gut Brain Axis and Probiotics

| June 5, 2020

Could eating probiotics help your mood or control your weight? Dietitian Sophie Medlin explains what the research shows now. It’s an emerging area of research but the links between the gut and its microbiome and our brain is starting to be established. It’s known as the gut-brain-axis and it involves the role probiotics (the good bacteria in our gut) could play in helping with mood and weight control. And there may also be benefits for immunity and perhaps even longevity. But first, what are Probiotics? According to London-based dietitian, Sophie Medlin, probiotics are the live bacteria and by law must…

Premature menopause symptoms and management options

| May 5, 2020

Premature menopause: What are the signs and the treatment options? Premature and early menopause can have a devastating effect on women and their families. Here, Gynaecologist Vikram Talaulikar from The Menopause Clinic London, talks us through the signs to look out for and the treatment options for symptom relief and fertility available to women.   Fact file: Menopause is the cessation of periods Premature menopause or Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is menopause that occurs under the age of 40 and it affect 1-3% of women Early menopause is menopause that occurs under the age of 45 and it affects between…

menopause symptom relief: what can help?

| March 19, 2019

80% of women will experience menopause symptoms. Dr Unnati Desai discusses some of the treatment options.   It’s stories like these that make you realise menopause symptoms can make life a living hell for some women. This is the story of Jane Lewis, the author of Me and My Menopausal Vagina: “Hello, I’m Jane and I’m 52 years old. I live with my husband of 34 years, have three grown up daughters, a granddaughter, and two dogs: Bertie and Bonnie. I used to live a really active life but then something changed.  I’m not quite sure the exact moment when things went so…

Do You Need A Blood Test To Diagnose Menopause

| March 15, 2019

Do you need to have blood test to diagnose menopause? Gynaecologist Vikram Talaulikar gives you a guide.   When you sit down with your GP and tell them you’re feeling irritable, waking in a pool of sweat every night or feeling like you’re lacking in energy, they may think you’re on the path to menopause. The first thing they might do is ask you to have a blood test to establish your hormone levels, in particular oestrogen and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). These days though it’s not considered necessary unless the GP has reason to believe there are other underlying…

Breast cancer and menopause: how can you manage the symptoms

| February 19, 2019

How do you relieve menopause symptoms if you’ve had breast cancer & can’t take HRT? One in eight women in the UK develop breast cancer at some stage in their adult life. The diagnosis can be devastating, but just to add insult to injury it can also mean many women are either plunged into an early menopause because of the treatments or encouraged to go off their HRT because of the risk of a recurrence or new breast cancer. So, on top of having to deal with the cancer itself, there is a host of unwanted and unwelcome symptoms that they…