Marla Ahlgrimm | Your Teen is Changing, too

Women who are coming up on menopause often have children who are getting ready to enter puberty, says Marla Ahlgrimm. With all the hormones flying around, it’s important to understand not only what you’re going through, but what your teenager is experiencing as well. And although we’ve all gone through puberty, it’s easy to forget how the emergence of hormones can make you feel.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, boys and girls alike have hormones that start to kick into high gear as they enter the early teen years. If you have a child anywhere between ages 11 and 14, you may begin to notice physical and emotional changes. Girls, for example, may develop breasts while boys can and will grow seemingly overnight. The growth that takes place during puberty signals both physical maturity and also the last time the body will grow before adulthood. It is not uncommon for children to experience growth spurts of more than 4 inches in a single year.

Marla Ahlgrimm on Mood Swings and PMS

PMS is a familiar acquaintance to the majority of women of childbearing age, says Marla Ahlgrimm. The retired hormone specialist explains that PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is not one specific symptom but a collection of physical and emotional changes in the days leading up to the period. Here are a few common questions and answers about PMS.

Q: What causes PMS?

Marla Ahlgrimm: A naturally occurring shift in hormones is the most logical cause. Specifically, fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen are likely responsible for the mood-related changes many women experience during PMS. Both of these hormones also influence the body’s output of serotonin, a hormone that, when deficient, can lead to irritability, insomnia, and food cravings.

Marla Ahlgrimm: Folate Important for All Women

Marla Ahlgrimm says that folate is something many women only pay attention to when they are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. However, this B vitamin does more than protect the unborn from birth defects.

Folate is essential in the natural process of red blood cell formation. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, these red blood cells are what carry oxygen throughout the entire body. When the body doesn’t get enough oxygen to its systems, the result can be a condition called anemia. Specifically, in this case, folic acid anemia.

Women need folate at every stage. However, it’s most important to the system during the childbearing years. Folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects during fetal development. It’s suspected that receiving enough of this nutrient may also play a role in fetal viability. In other words, intaking enough folate may help prevent early miscarriage.