{"id":29498,"title":"What is perimenopause?","description":"The uninvited party guest or the older sister to the menopause?I guess a mixture of them both. I know when I heard the term perimenopause \u201cI thought what the hell?\u201d I\u2019m 37!!! I\u2019m way too young! Unfortunately I wasn\u2019t. At the time I was like most 30 somethings. I was just living my life, work was busy, my life outside of work was full and I had plans for the future, which definitely didn\u2019t include being perimenopausal.","content":"

The uninvited party guest or the older sister to the menopause?<\/h2>

Written by Jo Gibson<\/u><\/a>. July 2023<\/p>

I guess a mixture of them both. I know when I heard the term perimenopause \u201cI thought what the hell?\u201d I\u2019m 37!!! I\u2019m way too young! Unfortunately I wasn\u2019t. At the time I was like most 30 somethings. I was just living my life, work was busy, my life outside of work was full and I had plans for the future, which definitely didn\u2019t include being perimenopausal.\u00a0<\/p>

\"WhatUnfortunately for me that uninvited party guest, the perimenopause had well and truly crashed my party. I later found out, it had brought it\u2019s friends too, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Well that trio of guests were ones you definitely didn\u2019t invite and they over stayed their welcome!<\/p>

In true bury your head in the sand or should I say carry on being the best hostess at the party I could. I ignored everything, all the symptoms I felt and how bad I felt. I didn\u2019t change my lifestyle or research what I could do to help myself. I thought if I gritted my teeth and pushed through one day I would wake up and all would be well. <\/p>

The uninvited trio of guests would have left and life would be back on track. No surprise, the guests remained and I ended up two years later crashing and burning in true the party went on far too long style!\u00a0<\/p>

So what could I have done differently? And if you feel like any of this relates to you, read on.<\/strong><\/h3>

First off, I should have taken more interest in what the perimenopause was. But to be honest there wasn\u2019t much information out there at the time. I\u2019d heard of the menopause but I hadn\u2019t heard of perimenopause. It\u2019s older sister. <\/p>

Plus I think in your 30\u2019s the last thing you want to hear is your heading for the menopause or what most people referred to as \u2018The Change\u2019. The only time anyone mentioned it was to ridicule it or it was hushed in whispers because if you mentioned it as a woman there was a good chance it could be catching! And you wanted to avoid that at all costs.<\/p>

I look back now and I think why didn\u2019t I find out what I could about it? I could have really helped myself and by being informed picked some better lifestyle choices and got some help. Therefore for you to be better informed than I ever was and to be prepared for that uninvited guest, let\u2019s talk about what perimenopause is.<\/p>

What is perimenopause?<\/h3>

\u201cThe period of a woman\u2019s life shortly before the occurrence of the menopause.\u201d The Oxford Dictionary<\/p><\/blockquote>

It\u2019s the time leading up to the menopause and it\u2019s a part of the whole menopause transition. A lot of the symptoms you experience at this time are because of the decreasing levels of oestrogen. This is when we can experience the majority of the menopause symptoms but you are still having your periods.<\/p>

Perimenopause how many years?<\/strong><\/h3>

Perimenopause on average lasts around 4 years but it can be from 3-7 years and last up to 14 years.<\/p>

Perimenopause what age does it start?<\/strong><\/h3>

The average age is 47, but it can be from 45-55 years old.<\/p>

Perimenopause can also start in your 30\u2019s and this is called early-menopause. I was diagnosed at 37 but at the time there was little information provided or available.\u00a0<\/p>

Perimenopause when will it end?<\/strong><\/h3>

Perimenopause ends when you haven\u2019t had a period for 12 consecutive months or more.<\/p>

Perimenopause symptoms.<\/h2>

What are the signs of the perimenopause?<\/strong><\/h3>

What are those perimenopause symptoms. I\u2019m going to list them but also where I can add in my own experience of them. This won\u2019t be everyones experience of perimenopause as everyones experience is unique to them but I wanted to not just have a list of symptoms I wanted to share my experience of it so you know I have an understanding of what you are going through.<\/p>

Irregular periods\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>

These are usually caused by the fluctuations in your hormones. Over this transition time you may experience, lighter\/shorter periods or heavier\/longer ones. It could be a mixture of them both. If you have any concerns it is always a good idea to get checked by your doctor or contact a health practitioner.\u00a0<\/p>

During the perimenopause my periods were all over the place and would go from ok, to really bad with no warning. It was really hard to manage and at times they dominated my life. What I could do. Where I went. They were debilitating but not once did I ask the doctor about this, I just carried on. In hindsight I now know I should have said something but general attitudes at the time were you just got on with it. It\u2019s a natural process and you were never really encouraged to ask, is what\u2019s happening to me normal or not.<\/p>

Hot flashes, hot flushes, night sweats<\/strong><\/h3>

Hot flashes<\/u><\/a> are very common during perimenopause and probably one of the ones most associated with perimenopause and menopause. They can be described as a sudden flush\/flash which starts in your torso and moves up to your face. <\/p>

Lasting only a few minutes, it sure feels longer to me! They can cause you to sweat, feel nauseated and head throb. Well that\u2019s my experience of them. For me I get really hot shins, bizarre I know but I do.<\/p>

When I experience them through the night It\u2019s often accompanied with pulling the duvet off my legs and throwing my arms out! Hot flashes do not aid in getting a good nights sleep.<\/p>

For some women they experience them more as night sweats, where they wake up multiple times drenched in sweat, which can be so bad they need to change clothes and bedding.<\/p>

Sleep issues, changes in sleep pattern<\/strong><\/h3>

We can experience changes in our sleep patterns which are often made worse by hot flashes and night sweats. I have never had great sleep hygiene and perimenopause exacerbated this.<\/p>

Mood changes<\/strong><\/h3>

If you\u2019ve ever experience PMT (pre-menstrual tension), then this is PMT on steroids. It can include mood swings, irritability, uncontrolled rage, depression and even feeling suicidal.<\/p>

For me my emotional state was all over the place. The most stupid of things made me so angry. Sometimes I felt like all the joy in my life had been used up and I would never feel happy again. There were days I felt mentally very dark, alone and isolated. I can\u2019t sugar coat it, it was bad.<\/p>

Quite often the stuff that came out of my mouth was wrong and I knew it too but I couldn\u2019t help myself. This can be summarised as the party guest who drank the bar dry and didn\u2019t know when to call it a night! Dark days indeed. I\u2019m thankful now I got through it and my relationship survived. I know that won\u2019t be the case for everyone going through perimenopause and my heart goes out to you and I send a digital hug.<\/p>

Headaches, migraines<\/strong><\/h3>

These can get worse or if you\u2019ve never suffered before you could start getting headaches or migraines. For me they got worse and it was no picnic. These are one of the symptoms I still struggle with.<\/p>

Brain fog<\/strong><\/h3>

For many you can experience a loss in concentration and focus, a word you can\u2019t remember. It can be the equivalent of wading through treacle and what used to come so easy to you, takes an age and can be a struggle. You can quite literally feel like your mind has gone and you don\u2019t feel sharp or you anymore.<\/p>

Brain fog can be very frightening to experience, but this dip in our brains and how they function is a temporary situation and should improve as we transition to post menopause.<\/p>

Joint pain<\/strong><\/h3>

You can struggle with joint pain and a feeling of aching and stiff joints.\u00a0<\/p>

Having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia it\u2019s been hard for me to work out how I\u2019ve been affected by perimenopause, I feel that the combination of the two made these symptoms worse. This is something I still struggle with on a daily basis.<\/p>

Sexual function<\/strong><\/h3>

As hormone levels drop, including testosterone, this can result in a lower or absent sex drive, vaginal dryness and issues during intercourse.\u00a0<\/p>

Again it\u2019s hard to quantify my experience here, as I was taking quite a few pain medications for fibromyalgia and these muddied the waters. I do recall that I was struggling with my general mood, pain etc and I really didn\u2019t feel like my old self.\u00a0<\/p>

So that\u2019s the main symptoms of perimenopause and if you have identified with any of them or had an \u2018aha moment\u2019 then you want to know what to do next.\u00a0<\/p>

Perimenopause what helps?<\/h2>

How to manage perimenopause symptoms. What can we do to help ourselves?<\/strong><\/h3>

While going through perimenopause you might feel loss of control. Your body is going through a period of transition and you can\u2019t stop it. What you can do though is maybe take back a bit of control by looking at lifestyle choices.<\/p>

Exercise<\/strong><\/h3>

We all know doing some exercise is beneficial to us no matter what stage of life we are at. It\u2019s advised for the perimenopause to exercise 5 times a week for 30-60 minutes of aerobic and strength training. Including strength training will minimise your risk of osteoporosis (thinning of bones). We are at risk of osteoporosis because of reduced oestrogen in our bodies.<\/p>

For me and many other women, due to other health conditions you might not be able to exercise this much. I try to do some type of exercise daily (mainly stretching) and I always use the stairs or move about during the day when I can.\u00a0<\/p>

Healthy food choices<\/strong><\/h3>

The easiest way to remember this is to think what\u2019s good for the heart is great for everywhere else. Aim to eat a variety of quality protein, vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates and good fats. Where possible, buy organic or just be conscious of food choices. <\/p>

Ditch those packaged meals. I know it\u2019s not easy. I\u2019m a self-confessed fussy eater and we don\u2019t eat at regular meal times so I know through my own experience, it can be hard but by changing a little bit at a time, overall it will help you.\u00a0<\/p>

I\u2019m making healthy choices where I can and thinking of how can I help myself to improve my menopause symptoms. This includes removing or if you can\u2019t completely, reducing alcohol, caffeine, sugar and avoiding spicy foods. I\u2019ve now cut out caffeine and carbonated drinks from my diet and I\u2019ve felt a reduction in hot flushes. Yay!<\/p>

Sleep hygiene<\/strong><\/h3>

Think about the time before you go to sleep, where possible reduce screen time and aim for none 90 minutes before bed. I know it can be difficult but is it really that important to check social media, read an email or the latest news right before bed. Surely it can wait until tomorrow.<\/p>

Use natural fabrics for bedding and bed clothes to help with hot flashes. Try breathing techniques or mindfulness to prepare you for sleep. Take time for you, give yourself permission for \u201cme time\u201d, whether that\u2019s taking a bath or reading. You are important and good sleep hygiene is the basis of working towards a better perimenopause and menopause.<\/p>

Medications<\/strong><\/h3>

In the end you might feel that you\u2019ve done what you can and are still experiencing symptoms. You can try medication like HRT (hormone replacement therapy)<\/u><\/a>. You will need to speak to a doctor about this and talk through your symptoms and anything you\u2019ve done to try to alleviate them. It might be worth documenting this so your prepared for the visit. If you need help with this, this is something that we can work through during a coaching<\/u><\/a> session.\u00a0<\/p>

What next?<\/h3>

Not everyone can take medications or don\u2019t want to. HRT isn\u2019t for everyone. In those cases if you\u2019re still struggling with symptoms, this is where coaching<\/u><\/a> could help you. If you would like to talk this option over please book a free discovery call<\/u><\/a>. I won\u2019t bite, well not today!<\/p>

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