Is it perimenopause? The symptoms you might not expect and 3 habits to start today
October is Menopause Awareness Month so it’s the perfect time to talk about something many women only think about once they’re in the thick of it.
Menopause is actually the point when you’ve gone 12 months without a period and in the UK the average age for that is 51. But the lead up to that – the perimenopause – usually starts in your 40s and can last anywhere from two to twelve years.
That’s a long time to feel “not quite yourself” without knowing why. Around 90% of women experience symptoms during this transition – and they can be numerous and varied.
The thing to understand is your body isn’t malfunctioning, it’s recalibrating.
Symptoms you might not link to hormones
It’s not just about the hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings. You might also experience:
- Waking at 3am and struggling to get back to sleep
- Brain fog or forgetting words mid-sentence
- Feeling anxious, overwhelmed or more irritable than usual
- Bloating or digestive changes that seem to come from nowhere
- Weight gain around the middle, even if your diet hasn’t changed
- Low energy even after a good night’s sleep
- Joint aches
- Dry skin, brittle nails or thinning hair
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Unpredictable periods
It’s common for women to put some of these symptoms down to “just getting older” or “just being busy”, and soon they become the new normal.
What might really be going on?
Your hormones work as a team, so when one shifts, the others do too. In perimenopause, oestrogen and progesterone don't just decline, they rise and fall unpredictably and your body can feel it.
A few things are worth looking at:
Blood sugar
As oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate, your body can become less sensitive to insulin. That might show up as energy dips, sugar cravings and stubborn weight gain around the middle.
Stress
When you're running on empty your body prioritises survival and makes more of the stress hormone cortisol, which can make symptoms feel louder and sleep harder to come by.
Sleep
Night sweats, anxiety and restless nights can feed into more hunger, stress and hormone imbalance, creating a cycle that's hard to break.
Thyroid
Midlife shifts can place extra pressure on your thyroid, which helps regulate metabolism energy and mood.
Should you see your GP?
If you're over 45, perimenopause can often be diagnosed from your symptoms alone and blood tests aren't always needed. Depending on your symptoms, your GP might talk to you about HRT or other options. For some women, medical support makes a real difference. However nearly 50% of women taking HRT report seeing no improvement - it isn't a cure-all for everyone. Whether you choose to go down the HRT route or not, there are additional ways to support your body during this time.
How nutritional therapy can help
Many people assume nutritional therapy is all about restrictive diets, weight loss, calorie counting and kale. That's not the case.
Everything you eat and do has an impact on what’s going on in your body.
As a Registered Nutritional Therapy practitioner(opens in new tab), I take time to explore your unique health story and look at your body as a whole. Rather than guessing, I look at what might be driving your symptoms. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
When we work together, I:
- Look at your symptoms, health history and lifestyle to see the bigger picture
- Check for possible nutrient gaps that could be affecting your energy, mood or sleep
- Explore how your blood sugar, stress levels and gut health may be influencing your hormones
- Use functional testing where it's helpful, to take out the guesswork
- Build a realistic plan around your life, with no fad diets, no deprivation and no overhauling everything at once
Making even the smallest changes to what you eat and what you do really can make a difference to how you feel. The key is in knowing where to start and what to change.
3 small habits you can start this week
1. Start your day with protein
Eggs, Greek yoghurt or a tofu scramble will help keep your blood sugar balanced and keep you energised through until lunchtime.
2. Swap your afternoon caffeine
Caffeine stays in your system for several hours and even a 3pm cuppa can affect how you sleep. It can also worsen anxiety. Try having herbal tea in the afternoons or a turmeric latte in the evening.
3. Switch off screens for an hour before bed
During perimenopause, managing stress and prioritising sleep is essential. Read a book, take a bath, do some gentle yoga or stretches and see how you sleep.
Ready for a Midlife Reset?
Things can start to feel overwhelming as you enter this life stage, but hormone health doesn't have to be confusing or time-consuming. Once you understand what’s going on with your body you can start to take back control.
My free guide, Your Midlife Reset(opens in new tab) is a good place to start.
Inside you’ll discover:
What's happening to your body and causing those symptoms as you approach midlife
8 simple steps that will actually make a difference – including blood sugar balance, functional foods, stress management, movement and sleep
A “quick win” for each step that you can try today
A weekly checklist to help you turn these steps into habits that last
Download your free guide here(opens in new tab)
Do you need a more personalised approach?
If you’re struggling with your symptoms and need extra support on your perimenopause or menopause journey I can help.
Book a free call and we can talk through where you are and where you want to be.
In China menopause is called the “second spring”. With the right support it can be the start of some of the best years of your life.
Simply book a FREE (opens in new tab)call and let's have a chat
Think of this time as your "Second Spring"
