Are you wondering how does perimenopause affect you? How do you know if you are in perimenopause? We’ve got answers- read on to learn all about what perimenopause means and what you can expect!

A Complete Guide: How Does Perimenopause Affect You?

Perimenopause happens before menopause starts and is a natural part of life for women. It comes with changes in your hormones that can bring different feelings and body changes. Knowing these changes is key to understanding your body.

When you know what to expect, you are empowered to introduce supportive self-care measures, lifestyle changes, nourishing foods, and supportive nutrients, supplements, or even medications if needed.

Key Takeaways:

• Perimenopause is the time before menopause starts.
• It starts as your body makes varying levels of reproductive hormones and then fewer levels of reproductive hormones.
• For many, it begins in their 40s or a bit earlier.
• Common signs are mood changes, hot flashes, and changes in periods (but there are many, many more).
• Some women might not notice any of these signs.

Understanding Perimenopause: Phase Before Menopause

Perimenopause is the time before menopause starts when a woman’s body changes and gets ready to stop being able to have babies. This time is when the body slowly makes less of the hormones that help with having periods and getting pregnant.

Perimenopause often starts with increasing and spiking estrogen levels, and then it declines, while progesterone typically gradually declines.

Knowing about perimenopause helps you spot the signs and understand what is causing the changes in your body, mind, and mood.  Being empowered allows you to be prepared and to strategize for better self-care, nutrition, and supportive nutrients and even medications if needed.

What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the time before a woman can’t get pregnant anymore. Her ovaries may have erratic levels of hormones, making her periods irregular. Some women don’t have many symptoms, but others find it tough as it can sometimes cause intense changes in mood, weight, skin, sleep, and more. 

When Does Perimenopause Typically Begin?

Perimenopause usually starts in the 40s, but it can begin even in the late-30s. The exact start time varies because of genetics, lifestyle, and health. Remember, perimenopause isn’t usually sudden. It’s a slow process that can last for years before menopause.

Natural Decline of Reproductive Hormones

In perimenopause, the body’s hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, decrease, eventually. These hormones are important for the menstrual cycle and reproductive health. Their decline causes hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, and changes in libido (among other symptoms- see the video above).

Perimenopause is the start of the end of the reproductive years, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant at all. It’s still possible to conceive with lower odds. Understanding these hormonal changes and their effects helps you be ready for this phase.

As noted above, before estrogen declines it has a time period of “spiking” referred to as estrogen dominance.  During this perimenopause phase, women can be particularly prone to acne, irritability, weight gain, heavy periods, insomnia, and both fertility challenges and boosts.

How Does Perimenopause Affect You?

During the perimenopause phases, women can have different symptoms. This is because each person’s experience varies. However, there are some common symptoms.

What can affect perimenopause symptoms

Things like genes, diet, and health affect these changes. Let’s take a deeper look at what things can potentially make your perimenopause experience more intense:

• Diet- A high sugar or highly processed diet that is lower in fiber vs a diet that is organic, high in fiber (greater than 30 grams per day) and whole food based (real food with less ingredients you can pronounce and recognize), with healthy protein and fats, can cause worening symptoms particularly in sleep, skin, and weight.
• Health- Inflammatory conditions like Diabetes, PreDiabetes or Insulin Resistance, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Arthritis, extra weight on your body, and certain types of autoimmune disease, can make your perimenopause experience harder.
• Genes- Genes can also factor in.  If a woman’s mother or sisters had difficulty with menopause and perimenopause she may have a more difficult perimenopause phase.

So, remember, what you feel might be unique.

Common Symptoms of Perimenopause

When hormonal changes happen, your body might act in unusual ways. Some common signs include:

• Mood changes
• Changes in sexual desire (low libido, or periods of time where you just don’t want to have sex or intimate experiences)
• Trouble concentrating
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Irregular periods

These symptoms can come and go or be constant. They can affect your quality of life and getting support and managing these feelings is key to feeling better.

Impact on Menstrual Cycles

Perimenopause changes your periods too, as mentioned above. They might become irregular or flow differently.

This is all normal. But if this is causing distress, like if you periods are too heavy, painful, or your mood is impacting your life negatively, definitely talk with a provider who is perimenopause aware.  You can also check out the videos on my YouTube channel and the blogs on this site.

Perimenopause and Its Impact on Health and Well-Being

Perimenopause marks a big change in a woman’s life. It comes with shifts in hormones that can deeply affect how she feels and her overall health.

These changes can increase the chances of certain health issues.  I’m not trying to scare you or be all doom and gloom here, but it’s important to understand what can happen.  Knowledge is power!

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones, is one such risk. Women in perimenopause might experience a drop in bone strength due to the loss of estrogen. This makes them potentially more likely to face fractures and other bone problems.

A bone density test, ordered by your healthcare provider, can tell you if you have osteoporosis or the early stages of this disease called Osteopenia.  Weaker bones tend to run in families, and can be more likely in women that are of caucasian or European heritage, but you can see it in other races and heritages also.

To combat this, focusing on a diet rich in nutrients like calcium and vitamin D can help. Have your healthcare provider check your Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorous, and Alkaline Phosphatase levels.  They can dive deeper if any of these levels are abnormal.

Staying active, and incorporating “weight-bearing” exercise is also very important.  These include gentle or moderate strength training with weights or even just using your body weight (exercises like push-ups, dips, squats, etc).  You can also accomplish this through pilates, yoga, and HIIT type exercise.

Heart Disease

There’s also the risk of heart disease. With estrogen levels dropping, the heart might be more vulnerable.

Keeping track of your labs and doing preventive imaging can be super helpful in estimating your risk, particularly if you have a family history of heart disease.

Here’s what I recommend you check with your provider:

• Fasting Lipid Panel (preferably a more advanced panel like NMR but if you can’t get that then do a standard panel and ask to have an ApoB level added on)
• Fasting Insulin (this helps determine if you are insulin resistant, which is also a risk factor for heart disease and can happen in perimenopause)
• Hemoglobin A1c (again this is for blood sugar, to screen for diabetes or pre-diabetes)
• HS CRP (this test looks at inflammation levels)
• CMP (this looks at fasting glucose, protein levels, electrolytes, kidney, and liver function- these can all relate to heart health)
• CBC (this looks at overall levels of your white blood cells and screens for anemia, but it also looks at platelets, if platelets are high you might be more likely to clot your blood which can contribute to heart disease and heart attacks)
• Imaging (scans for your heart)
  • if you are high risk I recommend a cardiac stress test with a cardiologist
  • for prevention I recommend checking a CIMT (carotid intima medial thickness scan- this will help assess the health of your arteries) or a coronary calcium scoring (this is more in depth than a CIMT but also exposes you to radiation via the CT scanner, the CIMT has not radiation)
• Be sure to check your blood pressure with your provider at least once a year, preferably every 3-6 months. A goal is around 120/80 or less.

Diet and Exercise

Reducing your risk for heart disease also includes eating well, exercising, managing stress, and regular check-ups. All these steps can help keep your heart in good conrecommdition.

A heart healthy diet overlaps with the recommendations made above re: low sugar, high fiber, whole foods based eating.

Heart healthy exercise involves 2-3 days per week of one or two of the bone supportive exercises noted above, as well as 30 minutes daily of brisk walking, jogging, cycling, hiking, dancing- anything that moves your body and gets your heart rate up a certain degree above your resting heart rate.

Anxiety and/or Depression

The mood can also take hits during perimenopause. Changes in brain chemicals from the shifting hormones can lead to anxiety and/or depression. Thankfully, support from professionals, self-care, reducing stress, and having a strong support network can make a big difference.

If you notice your mood changing check with your provider.  Consider one of the tests talked about in my perimenopause tests blogs.  

Make sure you get 7-9 hours of good sleep.  If this is interrupted by hormone changes talk to your provider and check out my videos and blogs on getting better sleep when your hormones are changing

Managing Perimenopause: Treatment Options and Lifestyle Changes

Dealing with perimenopause usually involves changing habits, and can include additional supplements like certain vitamins, minerals, or herbs.  Medications can be helpful when needed.

It’s important to find what works for you in tackling symptoms and staying healthy during this life phase.  It’s never a one size fits all approach!

Strategies for Coping with Perimenopause

Perimenopause can trigger big emotional and physical shifts. It’s key to find ways to deal with this. Here are some strategies that could help:

1. Practice stress management techniques. These can include meditation, journaling, getting out in nature, deep breathing, and yoga. These can lower stress and boost moods.  I love a good mediation app and Aura is my favorite! It offers life coaching, meditation, therapy, manifesting, sleep meditations, deep breathing exercises- and so much more! If you want to check out a free trial and save 25% if you join check out this affiliate link. 
2. Regular exercise boosts your mood and helps to balance your hormones.  Check out the recommendations above but those that are particularly helpful for mood boosting are yoga, pilates, nature walks or walks outside, and swimming.  Some women get feel better with more fast paced exercise and that’s great too- just keep an eye on how you feel when you finish, if you are exhausted or fatigued then take it down a notch.
3. Seeking support from friends, family, or joining support groups can provide comfort and promote stress relief during perimenopause. It helps you feel you’re not alone and promotes better hormone balance.
4. Relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy, massage, and warm baths can lessen tension, increase relaxation, and reduce discomfort.

Recommended Lifestyle Modifications

Certain lifestyle tweaks can also help manage perimenopause symptoms.

In addition to the recommendations above, here’s what I talk about with my patients:

• Aim for 5 to 7 servings of veggies per day and 2 servings of fruit per day. Make it as organic as you can afford.  Choose whole grains that have at least 1 gram of fiber for every 10 grams of carbs, and again organic if possible.  Eat lean proteins and try to get half your body weight in grams of protein (up to a certain degree, most people don’t need much more than 100 grams of protein per day but this all depends on lean muscle and how much your workout).  Eat healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil, nuts/seeds, and extra virigin olive oil.  Keep the added sugar to a minimum- the less the better but definitely less than 20 grams per day.
• Getting enough sleep is crucial. Make your bedtime a relaxing routine, ensure your sleep space is comfy, and practice good sleep habits. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day.  Hormones love routine!
• Steer clear of triggers that can make symptoms worse. This includes cutting back on caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, and bringing a fan or wearing layers to hot places when possible.  The less alcohol the better as it can disrupt sleep, make the hormones roller coaster more, and make your stress levels and cancer and heart disease risks higher.
• Hydrate well by drinking plenty of water daily.  Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water, and add 8 ounces for every 30 minutes of exercise.

Hormone Therapy and Alternative Treatments

Hormone therapy, using both estrogen and progesterone, is a viable option for easing perimenopause symptoms. These hormones help level out the ups and downs during this time. Make sure to consult your healthcare provider to find out if this is safe for you.  Each woman is different and family and peronsal history can factor into if bioidentical hormones are safe for you.  Additionally, don’t start estrogen too soon- adding it during certain phases of perimenopause can make your symptoms much worse!

Some women also find success with herbal supplements and other natural remedies.  This approach is what I usually start with in my patients, and my videos show many of the options I have found to be successful.  Check out this blog also to see my go-to natural supplements for pereimenopause. 

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, perimenopause is a stage in life women go through. It includes hormonal changes and many unique symptoms. Knowing how it affects you helps in steering through this stage. By noticing perimenopause’s symptoms and their impact on you individually, you can handle things better.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to perimenopause. You need a plan that tackles what is affecting you. What helps someone else may not help you.

Start here, with the information on this blog and the videos on my channel but seek individual care from a practitioner who is familiar with perimenopause if you need additional help!