If you are feeling hot flashes, mood swings, and having issues with your menstrual cycle, it could be the first signs of menopause. For around 10 years before menopause, your hormone levels begin to change in preparation for this time, and it can cause a range of symptoms and problems. This time of life is known as perimenopause, and it can be a very difficult and draining period of your life. However, there are several natural remedies that you can try to address your symptoms so that you can get back to your life again.
Perimenopause describes the period of time before a woman goes through menopause. It’s when your hormone levels start to change in preparation for moving past the reproductive years and into the time when ovulation ceases. Basically, your estrogen levels drop and stop fluctuating so much during your monthly cycle. This can lead to a range of symptoms, or no symptoms at all, depending on your body.
This stage of life can start at different times for different women. You might start noticing symptoms when you’re in your 30s or not feel any different until your 40s. There are several factors that can trigger this stage of life earlier such as:
Some women experience symptoms of dropping hormones for as long as 10 years, but others only see a difference as they draw closer to menopause. Estrogen levels drop sharply during the last couple of years of your perimenopausal cycle, so this is when you’re most likely to experience issues. At some stage during this time, your period will stop. Once you have no period for 12 months, you will be officially in the menopausal stage of your life.
Perimenopause can be different for every woman. It all depends on the chemical and hormonal balance of your body. However, some of the most common symptoms experienced by women at this stage of life are:
Perimenopause can be a time of fatigue, troubling symptoms, and health issues. Many women are very glad when this stage of life is over. Here are some of the signs that you are almost out of this stage and into menopause:
It can be hard for some women to tell when they’ve moved through perimenopause and into menopause, as symptoms can occur on different timelines for different women. However, once you haven’t had a period for 12 months, you’re considered to be officially in menopause regardless of other symptoms that you may be experiencing.
If you’re really suffering because of perimenopause, then it’s worth talking to your doctor. They will be able to help you find therapies and solutions that might help. Some of the most common therapies used to help alleviate symptoms of this stage of life are:
Hormone therapy can be the most effective way to alleviate symptoms of hormonal imbalances. Hormonal therapy can be delivered through pills, patches, gels, sprays, or in creams and tailored for your body. However, make sure you talk to a doctor and think about your options carefully before taking this option, as these medications can cause side effects and additional health issues, including increased cancer risk.
Antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may reduce menopausal hot flashes and may also help with your mood. However, these should be taken carefully and with a doctor’s close supervision to avoid side effects.
If vaginal dryness and urinary symptoms are a big problem for you, then ask your doctor about vaginal estrogen. This can be administered directly to the vagina via ring, cream, or tablet and contains a small amount of estrogen that can help alleviate these symptoms.
This medication can help reduce hot flashes and is often used in women who can’t take estrogen therapy.
Perimenopause might be a very trying time for you, or it could be easy and symptomless, it all depends on your body and your hormone levels. However, if you’re having trouble managing your symptoms during this stage, then here are some ideas that might help:
If you have troubling symptoms and hormone fluctuations, then it will increase your stress levels. And stress, likewise, could worsen hormone imbalances and perimenopause symptoms. So to make this stage of life easier, practice some stress-reliving techniques such as:
Regular exercise will help lift your mood, protect you against cardiovascular disease, decrease your stress levels, and protect you from bone loss. So, make sure you’re exercising regularly and in a way that suits your body.
You should quit smoking and drinking to excess during this stage to help alleviate your symptoms.
Sleeping more will help to alleviate your fatigue and smooth out your moods. If you’re struggling to sleep, some ideas that might help are:
Many women experience severe hot flashes when they’re perimenopausal, which impacts mood and sleeping patterns. If your hot flashes are disrupting your life, stay cool by:
Make sure your body has everything it needs to function properly by eating a diet that’s full of fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. You should also think about increasing your calcium intake during this time with foods like yogurt, milk, and kale.
Taking supplements should be a last resort, but if you can’t get the nutrients you need from food, then here are some that may help with perimenopause symptoms:
If vaginal itching and dryness is a big problem, then there are over-the-counter remedies that can help. Make sure you get products that don’t contain glycerin, which can cause itching or burning. Instead look for:
The hormonal changes and the symptoms that occur because of them when you’re in perimenopause can be a severe source of stress that can add to the stress you’re already feeling. The modern world is filled with small stressors and many of them are seen as perfectly natural. But the effects of stress on your body can be catastrophic, which is why you need to be more aware of the sources of stress in your life.
When you’re stressed, it activates the NeuroEndoMetablic (NEM) stress response, which prompts the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. The high cortisol levels then cause changes in the body’s circuits, organ changes that help keep you alert and ready to respond to the stress and also help protect you from damage.
But when stress is chronic and ongoing, the NEM stress response isn’t allowed to shut down. Cortisol levels remain high and the changes in the body’s circuits become permanent. Over time, this can cause the adrenal glands to fatigue and become dysfunctional. The body’s circuits also decline in health, causing troubling symptoms and problems. This is what’s known as Adrenal Fatigue (AF).
Adrenal Fatigue isn’t well recognized by the medical establishment, so many sufferers go on like this for years. If you visit a doctor in this state, they may give you therapies to alleviate your symptoms without being able to find the cause. This means that the underlying problems aren’t fixed and may even worsen because of the strategies to remove the symptoms. The only way to recover from Adrenal Fatigue is to uncover the underlying causes and take steps to alleviate the stress you’re feeling.
Alleviating some of the symptoms and problems you experience when you’re perimenopausal may help with this process. However, you will need to do this carefully and gently, to avoid causing further stress to the already dysregulated systems of your body. To do this, you will need to know more about the Hormonal Circuit and what happens with it when you have Adrenal Fatigue.
When you have Adrenal Fatigue, imbalances will occur very early on in the Hormonal Circuit. This circuit consists of the adrenal glands, the ovaries in women, and the thyroid, and these three components are responsible for many of the hormones that are released into your body. These components are also closely linked, so as one declines in health, the others will do the same.
Adrenal Fatigue happens as the adrenal glands start to fatigue because of the high demand for cortisol. This causes the ovaries and the thyroid to become increasingly dysfunctional over time because they create hormones that use many of the same precursors as cortisol. This can cause symptoms similar to perimenopause including fatigue, irregular periods, infertility, and low libido. It can also result in hormonal imbalances as the balance between estrogen and progesterone, two of the most important hormones in the female body, is lost.
Going through perimenopause further complicates this situation in several ways. Here’s how:
Firstly, the stress and symptoms that occur with this condition may bring on or exacerbate Adrenal Fatigue. This will leave you unwell and battling concurrent conditions at the same time.
The hormonal imbalances that occur with Adrenal Fatigue may also impact the hormonal changes that occur when you’re perimenopausal and vice versa. In Adrenal Fatigue, progesterone and estrogen levels tend to drop as the ovaries become dysfunctional, with progesterone falling more than estrogen. This can result in severe imbalances between these hormones, causing estrogen dominance.
The falling estrogen levels in Adrenal Fatigue may bring on perimenopausal symptoms and issues earlier than usual. It may also worsen the symptoms that you experience.
Having Adrenal Fatigue may also make it more difficult for you to undergo hormone therapy in order to address the changes in your hormone levels. Adrenal Fatigue tends to make your body oversensitive to medications or causes paradoxical reactions. It may also make it difficult for your doctor to determine the appropriate dosage to alleviate your condition as medications may further exacerbate the balance of progesterone and estrogen in your body. This will further complicate your recovery and any hormonal imbalances.
This is why it is important to see a medical professional who is aware of Adrenal Fatigue if you suspect you have the condition.
Perimenopause can be a very troubling and uncomfortable period in a woman’s life. But you don’t have to go through it on your own. There are a number of natural, gentle, and safe remedies that you can try that may help to improve your symptoms and reduce the stress that occurs during this period of your life. Here’s what to do if you think that you’re moving into this stage of your life:
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Modulate Female Hormones Naturally
Perimenopause is a period of time before menopause when a woman’s hormones start to drop. Symptoms often start with hormone changes around ten years before menopause. During this stage, you may experience symptoms like irregular periods, mood swings, and hot flashes that severely impact your quality of life and your health.
