We are said to be in perimenopause anywhere between our late 30s and mid 40s. It occurs 2-10 years before our final period. It is the phase before we enter into menopause.
Some women breeze through this. They barely even notice that they are in perimenopause. Other women struggle with a range of symptoms from hot flushes, sleep disturbances, migraines and weight gain.
In perimenopause, our hormones change, with a drop in progesterone sometimes contributing to anxiety, night sweats, heavy periods and migraines. At the same time, our oestrogen levels increase, again contributing to symptoms.
Many women feel vulnerable and like they are not really themselves. It is really important to nurture your nervous system. You need to be getting adequate rest and find activities that relax you. This does not need to be hard. It could be as simple as reading a book, sitting outside in the sun with a cuppa, doing yoga, going for a walk in nature, gardening, having a massage, or anything that helps you feel calm.
In this phase, many women notice a shift in their weight. There is usually a strong hormonal influence behind weight gain in perimenopause. This is often because of insulin resistance. It is very common, and is basically when your cells don’t respond well to insulin and can not easily access glucose from your blood to use as energy. This leads to a number of symptoms including less energy, inflammation and more weight gain, particularly around the tummy area. The good news is that it can be reversed! A number of key things you can do to improve insulin sensitivity include moving your body, tidying up your diet by reducing processed foods and sugar and increasing your protein and healthy fat, get enough good quality sleep, include intermittent fasting and reduce stress.
If you are experiencing hot flushes, your oestrogen levels play a big part in this, as this hormone helps to regulate our temperature. As our oestrogen levels fluctuate, increase and then decrease during perimenopause, this can contribute to hot flushes. Reduce stess, limit alcohol and sugar to help and move your body. Sage tea can be helpful to reduce hot flushes as well.
Many women notice a change in their moods. They speak about noticing that their temper is much shorter during perimenopause. Some women say that they don’t recognise themselves and feel like they are going crazy. Be assured though, you are not going crazy! Many of these mood changes are because of the shift in hormones. Remember earlier, I mentioned that our progesterone levels drop? Well, progesterone is our hormone that helps us feel relaxed, calm and helps us to feel happy. So when this drops, our mood might also lower, even causing us to experience feelings of depression or anxiety. You are able to support progesterone by reducing stress, getting enough good quality sleep, reducing inflammation and improving gut health. Supplements such as magnesium and a number of herbal medicines are beneficial for all of the symptoms I mentioned. These can really help support your body through this.
I would like to remind you that you are not going crazy. The symptoms that you are experiencing are not all in your head. Your body is shifting, adjusting and changing. There are a lot of ways we can support you through this transition phase.