There’s so much that makes women special — but it’s the complex interplay of hormones, their receptors, and dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors as they converge on every organ system in the female body that make women truly unique.
On average, studies show that women generally live longer than men but spend approximately 25 percent more time in "poor health" — averaging nine years in a state of compromised health! This, the “women’s health gap” according to the McKinsey Health Institute, equates to 75 million years of life lost due to poor health or early death per year, the equivalent of seven days per woman per year.
What if you could get those seven days a year back? It’s possible with the right approach, including customized supplement support formulated specifically for women's unique physiologies by Pure Encapsulations, no matter where you are in your life.
“It’s the loss of the beautiful hormonal symphony of estrogen and progesterone, the inborn dance of the hormones, which spells the end of optimal wellbeing of women,” says integrative gynecologist Dr. Felice Gersh. “We cannot underestimate the importance of this wonderful hormone.”
Understanding Estrogen and Progesterone
At a scientific level, estrogen and progesterone are hormones produced by the ovaries. Estrogen is responsible for the development of sex organs to begin with, and its levels rise before ovulation, triggering the release of an egg from the ovary. Estrogen also plays a role in bone health, cardiovascular function, skin tissue, and brain function.
Progesterone is crucial for preparing the uterus to both support and maintain a pregnancy, responsible for thickening the uterine lining in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Progesterone also has a hand in regulating sleep, mood, and energy levels.
Estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate throughout a woman's life, including during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. It’s normal for estrogen levels to rise during puberty and then decline as you approach menopause. It's also normal for estrogen levels to rise during ovulation so that your body can prepare itself for pregnancy. These fluctuations, at any stage, can trigger mood swings, anxiety, depression, and irritability — which can lead to more physical health concerns such as drastic weight changes or imbalances throughout life.
Supporting The Female Body At All Stages
We all know that in order to be healthy, we need good rest and quality nourishment. Most women need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, but each individual will have their own unique sleep value—which can change based on things including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. In terms of nourishment, there are some easy rules to follow: a plant-forward, whole foods diet will go a long way toward reclaiming some of those days lost to poor health. But there are times when the female body needs extra support, and that's where targeted supplementation comes in.
Around age 45 (on average), symptoms of menopause can begin and last up to ten years before menopause ever officially happens—the average age of official menopause is at age 52. During menopause, women might experience hot flashes, periods of anxiety, urinary urgency, joint or muscle pains and weight gain. This occurs due to the changing levels of estrogen and progesterone in your body. And since estrogen and progesterone have their hormonal hands in almost every part of the body, a disruption like this can wreak havoc. Keeping these sister hormones in balance with each other and with the rest of the body will keep all systems working as they should.
Your metabolic needs change during reproduction. Women require more energy for gestation, fetal development, and lactation—and that energy needs to be stored differently. Pure Encapsulations’ PreNatal Nutrients provides the vitamins and minerals needed to help support both maternal and fetal health, such as selenium, zinc, biotin, niacin, thiamine and riboflavin. It also includes chromium to provide support for healthy glucose metabolism.
Another option for everyday wellness is Pure Encapsulations’ DIM & Detox supplement, which can provide up to 8 weeks of targeted support for your detox pathways. This product assists antioxidant defence and healthy liver function—both essential to the body’s detoxification. Your liver processes nutrients from food, converting those nutrients into usable energy. It also plays a crucial role in controlling estrogen levels, which we now know is important for overall well being. DIM & Detox’s ingredients also include antioxidants for cellular protection, which slows down damage and potentially reduces the risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Women’s Nutrients, Pure’s multivitamin and mineral complex designed especially for women, is a high-potency vegetarian formula supporting optimal health. It’s a supplement that could be used in most stages of life, when your body is needing additional vitamin and mineral support for almost any reason. This formula uses antioxidants to deliver activated vitamins and superior mineral forms for optimal absorption. It also contains standardized herbal extracts from green tea, turmeric, red wine polyphenol, grape seed, pomegranate, rhodiola and lemon balm.
There’s something for everyone in Pure Encapsulations’ wide range of product offerings—B-Complex Plus for energy production; Cortisol Calm for cognitive function; or Hair/Skin/Nails Ultra for healthy hair, skin, and nails through collagen formation. Take charge of your health and wellness with a proactive and disciplined attitude by focusing on health products made specifically for the unique woman you are. Take a look at the entire Pure line of products for women at www.pureencapsulations.ca.