Postpartum or Perimenopause?
Answering your questions about the hype around magnesium foot spray and why postpartum and perimenopausal symptoms are so similar
Time for a Q&A to answer your questions about:
Do I need to use magnesium foot spray?
Does it matter whether my symptoms are postpartum or perimenopause?
Enjoy! And remember to e-mail your questions to ask@thesavvypatient.com or leave them in the chat.
Q: My algorithm keeps telling me I need magnesium foot spray to sleep better. First of all, do I need magnesium? Second, are sprays better than taking tablets or powders?
—Footloose
A: Magnesium is not among the supplements that I recommend all or even most women take. But it can be useful in a couple of different scenarios. It has been shown to reduce headache frequency when taken daily. Magnesium oxide can be an effective treatment for chronic constipation. And, yes, it may reduce the time it takes to fall asleep by a little more than 15 minutes, but the data is not conclusive.
In recent years there has been increased attention focused on the role of magnesium in bone health. Much of the magnesium in our bodies is stored in our bones. And women with high magnesium intake have been shown to have increased bone mineral content which is important in reducing fracture and osteoporosis. However, it’s unclear whether taking magnesium as a supplement has the same effect as eating a diet high in magnesium.
However, all the studies showing the benefits of taking magnesium involve participants taking magnesium tablets by mouth. Often, a specific formulation of magnesium tablets is used in studies. For example, the magnesium that is beneficial for constipation is magnesium oxide. Magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, and magnesium dicitrate are the formulations that have been shown to help with headaches.
There is no evidence that magnesium is absorbed through the skin. In fact, it’s pretty unlikely that much gets absorbed through the skin at all. Magnesium is a charged ion (Bear with me, as we head into high school chemistry territory). The skin is a great barrier. Much of what passes through the skin does so by diffusing across cell walls. Charged ions can’t diffuse across cell walls. As a result, spraying magnesium on your feet is not an effective way to get magnesium into your blood, which is where it can be helpful. All the hype is likely a result of the placebo effect.
The Savvy Short: While magnesium can be an effective treatment for some medical problems such as headaches and constipation, taking a magnesium supplement has not been shown to be beneficial outside specific circumstances. Magnesium foot sprays are particularly ineffective because magnesium molecules cannot be absorbed efficiently through the skin.
Q: I am 43 years old and I had a baby 6 months ago. Now I am having symptoms like brain fog, night sweats, irregular periods, and vaginal dryness that could be because of perimenopause or because I am postpartum. How important is it to sort this out, and what can be done to manage my symptoms?
—Sweaty Momma
