Perimenopause & Magnesium

Perimenopause marks your transition toward menopause. It is a time of great hormonal and life changes. Women in this stage of life tend to have less magnesium stored in the body, which can contribute to some unsettling symptoms. These can include nervousness, muscle cramps, mental fog as well as impairments in how some of your organs functions. Most Americans don't eat enough magnesium. You can help restore your levels by eating a magnesium-rich diet that includes whole grains, halibut, almonds, cashews, soy and spinach.

Perimenopause

Also known as the "menopause transition," perimenopause is a time in a woman's life when you gradually progress toward infertility. It can start as early as your 30s, and it can last eight to 10 years. Perimenopause has stages. In the beginning, you gradually produce less estrogen and toward the end, there's a pronounced acceleration in estrogen loss. Perimenopause ends at menopause, at which point you've had no periods for a year and your ovaries cease releasing eggs.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral element and an electrolyte. All your organs, particularly your heart and kidneys as well as your muscles need magnesium to function properly. Most of the magnesium in your body is stored in your bones; with most of the rest in your cells and intercellular fluid. Very little of it is in your blood. Magnesium helps form teeth and bones. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 states that most Americans don't get enough magnesium, but the University of Maryland Medical Center says true deficiencies are pretty rare. However, the center notes some health issues, from gastrointestinal diseases, along with heavy menstruation, can lead to low magnesium levels.

Magnesium in Perimenopause

Magnesium levels tend to gradually decrease during the transition to menopause. According to Ann Louise Gittleman, a nutritionist and author of "Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause," magnesium deficiency results in symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, memory loss, depression, increased sweating and body odor. Low magnesium also contributes to osteoporosis following menopause. You can combat these problems by increasing the amount of magnesium you take in through your diet. Gittleman also recommends supplementing. She recommends a "M&M" or "Multivitamin & Magnesium" combo to tame the symptoms of perimenopause, restore balance to your hormones and keep perimenopause symptoms at bay. Her advice, which should never replace the advice of your own doctor, is 500 to 1,000 mg at bedtime. A Loyola University Health System gynecologist, Karen Deighan, also recommends 500 mg taken with calcium and vitamin D for perimenopausal women.

Recommended Intake

The Institute of Medicine agrees that magnesium intake needs to increase as women age, but does not recommend the same amount as Gittleman and Deighan. Women between the ages of 19 and 30, should get about 310 mg of magnesium daily, but the institute steps that recommendation only up to 320 mg daily after age 30. Moreover, the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements advises caution when supplementing. While eating too much magnesium in your diet poses no health risk, the office says pharmacological doses of magnesium in supplements can. Mild symptoms can include diarrhea and cramping, but taking too much can lead to toxicity, which can impair your kidney and muscle functioning. Never attempt to self-medicate a condition with a supplement. Your doctor may have different options to help your menopause transition. For example, the University of Maryland Medical Center says hormone replacement might help stop some magnesium loss.