Perimenopause

Perimenopause is a difficult transition in a woman’s life and is often overlooked by the medical profession and the media.

Perimenopause begins while a woman is still ovulating but the quality of the follicles is starting to decline and therefore symptoms initially reflect estrogen excess relative to a progesterone deficiency. Initially and often for an extending time, periods can become more frequent, irregular, and often heavy. They will eventually become less frequent and lighter before “pausing” altogether. Menopause differs from perimenopause as the symptoms reflect estrogen deficiency rather than progesterone deficiency, as a woman has ceased to ovulate altogether.

This time is difficult for women as the symptoms of perimenopause are often similar to other conditions and standard hormone testing does not reflect a true picture of what is going on with hormones. The DUTCH test is a useful tool to give more depth and insight into this stage in a woman’s hormones.

Mood swings, issues with sleep, irritability, depression, anxiety, heart palpitations, thyroid conditions are all common during this time. Heavy periods can be difficult to manage and result in iron deficiency, which exacerbates many of these health issues.

Natural therapies, lifestyle and diet modification and herbal medicine can help with a range of these symptoms, sometimes in concert with medical approaches and sometimes on their own.