Perimenopause is a hot topic right now. Quite literally. Yet most of us aren’t even sure what it is. We’re all clued up about our periods ending and the menopause beginning, but up until recently there’s been little talk about what comes before.
Did you know the transition from one to the other can take years?
Perimenopause, as the name suggests, is a particular point in time ‘around’ menopause. It starts some years before and lasts on average between five and 10 years, as oestrogen levels gradually decline, culminating in the ovaries ceasing egg production and the onset of menopause itself.
According to Livi, the average age for menopause is around 50, while the average age for perimenopause is 47.5, but ‘symptoms can occur up to a decade before.’
‘Although the menopause is clearly defined as a date 12 months from your last menstrual bleed, the perimenopause is less clearly defined and varies hugely from woman to woman,’ says women’s health specialist Dr Elisabeth Rosen, in an education piece on the Livi website.
‘The perimenopause indicates the first bodily changes that accompany the hormonal changes — a decrease primarily of oestrogen and progesterone — within a woman’s body as she ages. Some women will only experience these symptoms for a couple of years before their periods stop altogether, but some will have them for a decade.’
And it’s these symptoms that roughly 13 million women in the UK are suffering at any one time.
They may be familiar to you:
- Brain fog
- Hot flushes
- Trouble sleeping
- Irregular periods
- Mood swings
- Tiredness
And they’re debilitating, right?
Worryingly, recent research discovered that although 70% of women had experienced perimenopause symptoms, 90% didn’t recognise them as being hormone-related, instead blaming stress, anxiety and ageing.
Understanding the link between nosediving oestrogen and the plethora of uncomfortable effects which make up perimenopause is the first step to dealing with them.
Chances are, if you’re in your 40s and things have been feeling a little bit ‘off’ of late, it could be the perimenopause knocking on your door.
But what is the best way to beat perimenopause? Is there one?
By and large, the only way to deal with perimenopause is to accept its arrival, assess your lifestyle and implement a plan to support the peaks and troughs of your hormones. It may also be worth arranging an appointment with your GP to talk about HRT and other medical routes for symptom relief.
If you can, it’s also really important to open the conversation with your friends and family. If you’re noticing a difference in your cycle and your general wellbeing, it’s likely that pals of a similar age are probably going through something similar. Get an insight from your mum, sister, aunt, if you have them, into their experiences too. Getting to grips with perimenopause is all about seeing and understanding the bigger picture.
Read our Top Ten Tips to Beat Perimenopause below:
- Consider cutting out alcohol
- Adopt a Mediterranean diet
- Invest in good women’s health supplements
- Exercise regularly
- Keep a journal and modify your days in accordance with your learnings
- Include supplemental oxygen in your daily routine
- Do your research – Read Perimenopause Power by Maise Hill
- Investigate your gut health
- Create a sleep schedule and stick to it
- Take time for yourself
