How can I tell if I am in Perimenopause?
What’s going on? Why do I keep waking up too early, why am I so grumpy or suddenly anxious, why am I abruptly hot and sweaty? Why can’t I lose weight anymore? What’s happening with my menstrual cycle?
Could I be in perimenopause?
Perimenopause can begin as early as 35 and as late as 55, it is the time of transition when our hormones fluctuate, our brains recalibrate, and we move towards the one day called The menopause, which is 1 year without a menstrual period. After this, we are post-menopause.
During Perimenopause our hormone levels change and more often than not our oestrogen levels are higher, and fluctuating rather wildly, making it unpredictable; ovulation is less frequent and progesterone levels can be lower.
All women experience different symptoms in their perimenopausal journey—everything about perimenopause is variable. It is variable within one woman. It is even more variable between different women (even if those women are sisters or relatives). This is because every woman is uniquely different, and how these hormonal changes affect her, depend on many things such as genetics, diet and lifestyle, current health, and how her menstrual cycles were in her reproductive years.
Research tells us that perimenopause starts even before a women notices changes to her menstrual cycle.
Below is a list of signs a woman in midlife with regular menstrual cycles of normal lengths (21-35 days apart) may use to determine if she is in the early perimenopause transition.
New heavy and/or longer menstrual flow
Shorter menstrual cycle lengths (< 25 days)
New sore, swollen, and/or lumpy breasts
New or increased menstrual cramps
New mid-sleep wakening
The onset of night sweats, especially around the flow
New or markedly increased migraine headaches
New or increased premenstrual mood
Notable weight gain without changes in exercise or food intake
If you notice 3 or more of these changes, it’s likely you have entered very early stages of Perimenopause. Perimenopause length varies from one woman to the next and can last anywhere from 2 to approximately 10 years.
What is even more important for you to know is that Perimenopause/Menopause is not a disease, or a state hormone deficiency, it is also separate from ageing. It’s a natural life transition. Many of the symptoms women experience are due to a mismatch of our genes to our diet and lifestyle along with underlying imbalances in our bodies, all of which can be addressed so that the transition into menopause is one of magic, not misery!
If you want help with your perimenopause transition, get in touch to find out more about how I can help you.
