Am I Perimenopausal?
Also known as second puberty, perimenopause is a stage of the menstrual life cycle where things can start to get a bit crazy. Not to be mistaken with “menopause” which is the phase that begins 12 months after the final period, perimenopause can feel like a bit of a rollercoaster, and can bring on some new and interesting menstrual symptoms.
If you are in your late 30s or early 40s and are recognising some of these symptoms, chances are the rollercoaster is beginning!
- Shorter menstrual cycle (<26 days)
- New onset of heavy and/or longer menstrual flow
- New onset or increase in menstrual cramping
- Premenstrual night sweats
- New onset of sore or lumpy breasts
- An increase or new onset of migraines
- An increase or new onset of mood swings, particularly pre-menstrual
- Poor sleep… I like to break it down as feeling wired and tired
- Weight gain without any changes to food intake or exercise
Basically, you are still getting your period, most likely every month, but things are getting a bit hectic with it and you might be finding you are far less resilient to stress. You are probably also starting to notice some extra “cushioning”, especially around the middle #muffintop, which is frustrating because you have probably changed absolutely nothing with your diet or exercise regime :(
There is no blood test to confirm perimenopause, so we go by the above symptoms. It can be useful to check your hormone profile, or at least your FSH to get a bit of a baseline. FSH will rise over time, and when the period has ceased and you have two elevated FSH readings (>40 IU/L) you can then tick menopause off the list.
There is a bit of a hormonal rollercoaster, not dissimilar to puberty that occurs during perimenopause. All of a sudden our progesterone levels start to drop (in part to an increase in anovulatory cycles), and oestrogen goes a little nuts, spiking to over double the normal levels.
It is interesting because we know the word Menopause and we know this means low oestrogen (and of course Progesterone), which is correct, but we can’t forget the symptomatic phase that precedes this, where oestrogen is doing quite the opposite!
Unfortunately the drop in progesterone can lead to or exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia. We just don’t deal with shit as well as we used to. Things get under our skin. Have you ever noticed that women in their 40s tend to grow a voice suddenly, just stop taking peoples shit? This isn’t such a bad thing…. Until it is!
Perimenopause is a time for more self care, more nourishment. Stress reduction strategies are key, and movement is an absolute must. If I can give 1 piece of advice to any woman in this phase of their life, it is to start lifting weights a few times a week. You body is changing rapidly, and the cardio you used smash in your 20s and 30s isn’t going to be as useful (don’t get me wrong it still has its benefits!), but you MUST learn to lift heavy shit.
My pick of the supplements here is Magnesium, to help support the nervous system and promote healthy sleep. Use a good quality though (avoid Mag oxide) and go for an amino acid chelated form like magnesium bisglycinate.