Perimenopause
Perimenopause is an inevitable stage in a woman’s life. Just like getting your period for the first time, it could be an easy transition or a traumatic experience. We generally don’t have positive feelings toward this important stage in our life, not like our other ‘female milestones’. I think this is because a lot of women don’t have very easy transitions and there is not much help in the way of information or support from our health care professionals, especially if going on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) isn’t your thing.
What is happening to me?
Perimenopause and menopause are not the same thing. Menopause occurs one year after your last period. Basically, it is your body’s way of saying “I’m done with ovulation now. Ovaries… you did a good job, but it’s time to pack it up”. Menopause is actually an easier transition as many symptoms will settle down and you may feel more like yourself again whilst your oestrogen levels find a new ‘normal’ level.
Perimenopause is the lead up to this event and it can bring changes for anywhere up to ten years before the actual transition. It is not uncommon to hear of some women having symptoms such as hot flushes well into their 60’s!
It is safe to say that many of the symptom’s women are experiencing during this time of their life are either ignored, downplayed or put down to their hectic lifestyle. Common complaints may be:
+ constant headaches
+ heavier than normal periods
+ heart palpitations
+ hot sweats
+ non-existent libido
+ vaginal dryness
+ skin and hair changes and
+ the inability to sleep through the night.
How do we reduce the symptoms?
There are a couple of reasons why we struggle with perimenopause. Firstly, it tends to occur at what can be a stressful time of our lives. It is a time that many of us have obligations around family and work (kids, ageing parents, career) and this can subsequently cause a lot of stress. Also, our stress response isn’t what it used to be due to the change in ratio of our hormones (oestrogen and progesterone). In fact, you will find that these hormones will be up and down – a hormonal roller-coaster ride we are never fully prepared for. Progesterone is our chill hormone that is made mainly through ovulation and unfortunately, we lose a lot of this hormone during the lead-up to menopause.
Another reason that women struggle around this time is what we Naturopath’s call ‘adrenal fatigue’ or ‘adrenal burnout’. When we push ourselves too hard physically (at the gym or running around after others) and mentally (trying to achieve that superwoman title) throughout our 30’s and 40’s, we may find that when we arrive at our middle ages, we are feeling a little worse for wear. Depleted and fatigued, we in fact worsen the symptoms – an increase in hot flushes and night sweats, bloating and longer or heavier periods, not to mention, an inability to cope with all of these changes.
The good news is that not every woman will have this experience and this picture is not necessarily something that is inevitable or normal. In fact, the better we take care of ourselves in our 30’s and 40’s, the better our Perimenopause experience will be. Nurturing ourselves and developing the ability to say ‘no’ to taking on extra tasks is a must. But it is never too late to change our health destiny!
Herbal medicine and the right nutrient support along with lifestyle and dietary changes have had fantastic results with some of my clients to date. More and more women are realising that taking care of themselves is not selfish and should be a priority. You may have heard the saying: you can’t pour from an empty cup? There are no truer words when it comes to the modern busy woman.
Balancing hormones and addressing stress levels can be a game changer. It may be a case of a few changes here and there. However, I promise you won’t regret it (and your family and friends will love you for it too)!