Can you get itchy skin during the menopause?

Itchy skin is very common in the menopause, and often caused by lowering oestrogen levels.

However, stress, dehydration, and constipation can be contributory factors so do look at your diet and lifestyle as well. Make sure that you are drinking plenty of plain water every day - tea, coffee, fizzy drinks don't count!

You could also try a fermented soya supplement such as Menopause Support. This is traditionally used to help gently raise and balance oestrogen so may help to reduce symptoms as well. 

Falling hormones can also stress the liver which is closely linked to the skin so it may be an idea to do a gentle liver detox, (check out Patrick Holford's 9 Day Liver Detox on Amazon), or you could try Milk Thistle Complex for a couple of months.

Some women find taking a daily cup of nettle tea can help, and Neem Cream is known to soothe itchy skin.

Lowering oestrogen can make the skin in general more sensitive anyway so it may be an idea to check what kind of soap/shower gel/washing powder you are using and maybe swap it for organic ones. The majority of washes/soaps contain a whole heap of chemicals, and that may be contributing to this irritation.

Eileen Durward