Why You Need To Know The Early Signs Of Perimenopause
Changes to your menstrual cycle may not seem like a big deal. But do you know, that these changes may have long-term effect on your health? You need to know about these signs because…
If you are in your late thirties or early forties, changes to your menstrual cycle, may be clues that your endocrine system is changing. You may be in early perimenopause. If you don’t begin to look after your health early, you may be at risk for menopause associated diseases. You may also experience more extreme symptoms, as you progress through perimenopause into menopause.
This information is not something that health providers tell you about and as a result, leaves you unprepared for your future health.
In this post, you will learn about why it’s important for you to know the early signs of perimenopause.
You also learn about what you can do now, to minimise the likely hood of severe symptoms such as…
- Hot flushes
- Excessive bleeding
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low libido
- Headaches and migraines
- Digestive issues
- Weight gain
…and many others.
How To Reduce Your Risk For Menopause Associated Diseases
Even before you notice changes in your menstrual cycles, changes to your endocrine system has already began. As your oestrogen levels begin to decrease, eventually so do progesterone and other female hormones.
If you don’t protect your health early, these hormonal adjustments may result in menopause associated diseases that impact your…
- Health
- Relationships and
- Career
Hence, in order to protect yourself from and minimise your symptoms, you need to look after yourself from the onset of perimenopause.
What are the earliest signs of perimenopause to look out for?
Changes To Your Menstrual Cycle
I was 39 years of age when my periods stopped for three months. At the time I put it down to the stress of a new job. Little did I know that changes to menstrual cycles in your thirties, is one of the earliest signs of perimenopause.
When you are busy with a young family or get bouts of broodiness, thoughts of menopause may be the last thing on your mind.
You probably think about menopause as a distant event in the future and just…
- About your periods stopping
- Not having to use sanitary protection
- The pleasure of not having to use contraception
- A joke about ‘older women’
But if you are in your late thirties or early forties and you notice the following symptoms, you may be showing early signs of perimenopause.
- Your periods: do they come earlier or later, have become longer or shorter, maybe they are lighter or heavier
- Worsening mood swings
- Increasing low moods or depression, especially when you’ve never had depressive tendencies
- Insomnia or you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep
- Losing weight is harder or takes more effort
Are You Pregnant Or Is It Early Signs Of Menopause?
I was not in a relationship or indulging in carnal pleasures, when I missed my periods. So I knew I was not pregnant.
However, I had classic pregnancy signs of sore breasts, nausea and mood swings. I even went off coffee for a short time. At the time, I didn’t even know perimenopause existed.
All I could put it down to, was the stress of starting a new job as a Midwife.
After three months, my periods came back with a vengeance and were extremely heavy. Although I expected this to happen, at no point did I link missed periods to being in early perimenopause.
If there is a chance you may be pregnant, always do a pregnancy test and see your GP to rule out any other cause for your missed periods.
What Is Perimenopause?
Early menopause, menopause transition or the climacteric period, are terms used to describe the stage in a woman’s life, when her body shifts from reproductive to non-reproductive state.
This stage can last many years and ends at menopause, when her menstrual periods have stopped for at least twelve months.
The average age for perimenopause begins around the age of forty.
Missed Periods Are A Sign Of Late Menopausal Transition
According to the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop +10 (STRAW +10), there are three stages of menopausal transition. However, by the time you…
- Miss 60 days or 3 monthly periods or longer
- Have periods that continue to fluctuate in length and frequency
You are in late menopausal transition or Stage -1.
This means that your ovaries are less receptive to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and your oestradiol levels remain high or fluctuates as a result.
By this stage, a lot of women experience noticeable signs perimenopause symptoms, such as hot flushes, insomnia, brain fog or anxiety.
You may begin to notice…
- Hot flushes – like you are coming down with flue, a few days before a period
- Anxiety – you feel nervous, anxious and have heart palpitations for no reason at all
- Low moods before a period – this is a classic sign of PMS. But PMS worsening may be an early sign of perimenopause
These are early signs that your ovaries are have become less effective than during your reproductive years and that your oestrogen levels are becoming too low to maintain many body functions at optimal levels.
Why Does Low Oestrogen Affect Your Health?
Although oestrogen is mostly associated with fertility and sexual characteristics, the hormone also influence the…
- Cardiovascular
- Endocrine
- Immune and
- Nervous systems
The reason for this, is that these organs have receptors that respond to oestrogen stimulation. Therefore, decline in oestrogen may mean a decline in your health.
Although this may be true, you have to remember that your diet and lifestyle also plays an important role in your health.
When you look after your health, you can minimise…
Common Perimenopause Symptoms
According to the NICE Guidelines on Menopause, the symptoms women experience at perimenopause, is associated with and not because of menopause. This makes it sound as though symptoms of perimenopause are just a passing phase.
But this phase can last many years!
It’s no wonder we only think of menopause as the ‘main event,’ when in fact, you are more likely to experience more symptoms at perimenopause.
So here are what the Guidelines describe as short-term menopausal symptoms (up to 5 years!)…
- Hot flushes or night sweats
- Joint/muscle pain
- Low moods
- Vaginal dryness
- Low libido
However, when reading around the topic and women’s experiences, they describe other symptoms such as…
- Weight gain
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Loss of skin tone and elasticity
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Loss of sense of Self
Also, if you are a woman with extreme symptoms, 5 years is not short-term!
The Guideline also reveals that there are…
Serious Health Risks Associated With Menopause
This information was a big shock when I learnt that menopause is not just about periods stopping. These are serious health risks associated with menopause…
- Osteoporosis
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
Knowing these health risks motivates me to inform women to protect their health, as soon as they notice the early signs of perimenopause.
As a medical professional, it is important for me to know the…
Current NHS Management Of Perimenopause And Menopause
The current Guidelines recommend management for the varying menopause symptoms to be…
- HRT
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) for mood disorders or
- Clonidine
For many women, these management options are effective. However, for many others, these medical treatments just do not produce the relief they seek.
There are many reasons for this and you can read about why, what works for one woman, may not work for you, here.
My belief is that the body can be supported through a healthy diet and lifestyle. I also do not like knowing there are side effects associated with medical treatments for menopause.
Hence, I choose to manage my symptoms with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
You may want to go the ‘medical route’ and that is absolutely fine too.
Even so, if you want to support your choice with a healthy diet and lifestyle…
What Do You Do When You Notice The Early Signs Of Perimenopause?
What most GP’s never tells women about menopause transition, is how to look after your health.
Hence, after seeing my GP, I used my knowledge of nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine to research for natural remedies to reduce my symptoms and protect my health.
The information that helps me is what I share with you on this site.
In Reality, We Should Look After Our General Health Anyway…
Unfortunately, most women at perimenopause are usually too busy with young families to even think about menopause. After all, it seems way off in the future doesn’t it?
If you are reading this, you may already have tell tale signs ringing your internal bell. So what do you do?
If you do not make time for Self-Care as part of your lifestyle, now is the time to begin. The earlier you start, the less symptoms you are likely to develop in the future.
More importantly, you reduce your risk for menopause associated health risks. So once you notice changes to your menstrual cycle, if you don’t already, begin to…
Make simple changes to your diet
Remain well hydrated and drink at least 1.5 litres of water per day.
Eat a whole-foods diet that includes
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Green leafy and multicoloured vegetables
- Fibre rich foods
- Quality proteins
- Healthy fats
At the same time, avoid or reduce foods that may make perimenopause symptoms worse, these food include…
- Processed carbohydrates or sugary foods
- High fat or foods fried/cooked at high heat
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
Increase Movement As Part Of Your Lifestyle
- Make time for regular exercise, specially weight bearing exercise
- Ensure you make time for relaxation, meditation or mindfulness
These are simple tips that you can begin to include in your routine and lifestyle, as part of your menopause protection plan. The earlier you make these simple changes, the less likely you are to experience extreme symptoms.
More importantly, you lower your risk for menopause associated health risks.
Would You Like Support To Reduce Your Perimenopause Symptoms?
If you would like a more comprehensive one to one support, I offer Nutritional Therapy service. When you work with me, we create personalised nutrition and lifestyle plans that you can implement as part of you lifestyle, to protect your health and reduce your symptoms.
If you would like to read more about how Nutritional Therapy can help protect your health, you can read about it here. Alternatively, you can contact me and I can send you further details.
