perimenopause: How to know if you’re in it

Perimenopause is one of the most confusing and bewildering times in many women’s lives. Many women don’t actually realize they’re in perimenopause until long after it has already begun. 

Perimenopause is different from menopause, which is a life phase that starts one year after your last period. Perimenopause on the other hand is the 2-12 years before your periods stop. That’s a big chunk of time, especially if you’re dealing with many of the unpleasant symptoms that often come along with perimenopause (hot flashes anyone?!).

So, since perimenopause can be such a varying amount of time, how do you actually know if you’ve entered into that phase of your life? The answer isn’t quite so simple.

Perimenopause is a sequence of hormonal events and can be thought of as a woman’s second puberty. During childhood estrogen is low, and then once a woman enters puberty for the first time her estrogen rises and fluctuates. Progesterone is low until her cycles become regular, after which it starts to rise in the second half of her regular cycles to help counteract estrogen.

When a woman first gets her period she has this period of high estrogen and low progesterone, and we see this same situation when a woman enters perimenopause and once again has high and fluctuating estrogen, with lower progesterone. This high estrogen with low progesterone contributes to many of the symptoms that occur in perimenopause, such as heavy periods (which may have also happened when you first got your period).

What are the other symptoms of perimenopause that can accompany heavy periods? Any of the following are common among perimenopausal women:

• Irregular, longer, and inconsistent periods

• Insomnia

• Sore breasts

• Pelvic pain

• Vaginal dryness

• Migraines

• Night sweats

• Hot flashes

• Heart palpitations

• Fatigue

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Memory loss

• Weight gain

On average, perimenopause symptoms last around 7 years - again, that’s a long time to be dealing with these issues. During this time estrogen is fluctuating wildly, going from high highs to low lows, and leaving you dazed and confused in the meantime, often with many of the symptoms above.

Once you move past having your last period you move to a low estrogen and low progesterone state, which can bring on insulin resistance and blood sugar problems. This contributes to weight gain and body composition changes that many women get frustrated with during this time.

But what about testing? Many women wonder if there is a way to just test and know if you’re in perimenopause. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect way to test, and typically paying attention to your signs and symptoms is the best way to know if you’re in perimenopause.

Your doctor can test your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is the hormone your brain’s pituitary gland makes to talk to your ovaries and tell them to make a follicle for ovulation. The level of this hormone fluctuates greatly however throughout the month, so it is not a definitive way to tell if you’re in perimenopause, but it is typically higher in women who are in perimenopause and menopause.

So, if you’re a woman in your mid-thirties to early 50’s and are experiencing these signs and symptoms it’s very likely you’re in perimenopause. This realization and symptoms can feel frustrating and bewildering, and I’ve found that many women who feel this way are confused about what is actually happening to their bodies during this time.

It’s important to recognize that perimenopause is temporary and will not last forever. Most women feel much better once they move into menopause. However, we know perimenopause is a long period of time, and it can be easy for women to feel helpless during this time. In reality, however, there is a lot you can do through diet and lifestyle changes to make this transition much easier, and less stressful.

Your body is changing, and it’s important to understand why and how so that you can make changes in your own life to help ease your body into this transition and set yourself up to age gracefully. Nourishing yourself with the right foods, moving your body in the right ways, and implementing appropriate lifestyle changes can be a game-changer for your perimenopause period.

If you’re a woman who is in perimenopause or entering perimenopause soon and are looking for guidance on understanding what is happening and how to naturally help your body transition more easily into menopause, then I have an exciting opportunity for you! I am running a 4-week Aging Gracefully group program to help women just like you navigate perimenopause, and decrease many of the unpleasant symptoms that often arise alongside it so that you can navigate this time of your life with confidence, ease, and grace, feel amazing in your body, and thrive in your life.

I’m currently offering this program at a significant discount of 50% off what it will cost in the future, so if you’re considering joining us then sign up now to take advantage of this special opportunity. You can find more information about the program here.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, and if you’d like to schedule a free call with me to discuss this further and see if it’s a good fit you can do so here.