Feeling sad, moody, depressed, tired, bloated? Are you waking up in the middle of the night sweating and unable to go back to sleep? As we start having children and then move into our perimenopausal years, our hormones play a major role in our overall well-being. If you're like me, you may be hesitant to go to the doctor for a prescription to make these symptoms go away. Fortunately, there are ways to naturally treat these common female health problems.

Depression, anxiety, PMS and €œhot flashes€ start to occur more frequently after we've had children and enter our perimenopausal years . These female problems can partly be blamed on an imbalance of your female hormones. Soy isoflavones, naturally occurring phytoestrogens found in soybeans, can help with the problems associated with fluctuating hormones.

PMS and perimenopausal symptoms like bloating, cramps, €œhot flashes€, mood swings and anxiety are relieved with soy isoflavones. Genistein is one widely-researched soy isoflavone that has been proven in clinical studies to be beneficial to women who are suffering from these common female health problems.

How do you know which soy product to choose? Look for one that is a standardized isoflavone extract at least 40% but no more than 64 per cent. Those are rare but they could cause problems with a healthy ratio of soy isoflavones.

The way we metabolize our hormones is also another source of female health problems. One of the main responsibilities of the liver is to metabolize and excrete chemicals from our bodies. This process results in a ratio of two hormone metabolites: 2 hydroxyestrone and 16 alphahydroxyestrone. The first one is healthy, the second one is not so healthy. This ratio is unique to every woman. Flaxseed powder lignans can keep the ratio of these two metabolites in a healthy balance which are easily thrown off by our lifestyle choices like poor diet and lack of exercise. To make the transition to menopause as easy as possible, make sure you are eating right, getting enough exercise and supplementing if necessary.

Hormone imbalances can also result in much more serious problems like endometriosis, fibroids, and adenomyosis. If you have extremely painful periods that last a long time, make an appointment with your gynecologist to find out if you might have one of these problems. And be proactive in finding solutions for your female health problems that work for you whether it's taking a prescription medication or opting for the natural solutions.