Perimenopause

If menopause is still 10 years away, then why are you experiencing symptoms now?  Enter Perimenopause, the often unknown and misunderstood time of hormonal change.

What happens hormonally in your forties (or even mid to late thirties)

Perimenopause is not widely heard of yet can bring with it a hormonal roller coaster. It is a very different time to Menopause.  While Menopause is a time of low estrogen, Perimenopause is often a time of an estrogen rollercoaster. Perimenopause is the 2-12 years prior to menopause when you start to feel symptoms – Menopause is the years after you have had no period for a year and symptoms will settle down. That is good news as during Menopause you will generally be healthy and symptom free and many Women report feeling better then ever.

Perimenopause Symptoms include:

Heavy or longer menstruation

Shorter overall menstrual cycles

Sore, lumpy of swollen breasts

Sleep issues like waking in the night

Increased menstrual cramps

Onset of night sweats, in particular in the pre menstrual period

New or increased migraine headaches

New or increased pre menstrual mood swings

Weight gain without changes in exercise of eating

You are likely to be in perimenopause if you have 3 of the above symptoms despite regular menstrual cycles. The symptoms of perimenopause can come on quite quickly and can have quite a major effect on your life. You may not feel like yourself.

Popular belief is that estrogen slowly declines in your forties.  Really your hormones are like a roller coaster at this time and sometimes your estrogen will be higher then ever. Then it will come crashing down to almost nothing. This can happen cycle after cycle. At the same time progesterone is declining.  This is an issue as progesterone counteracts estrogen. Progesterone is a calming hormone so when it declines, you have less stress tolerance at a time when you probably have more stress then ever. This means you can be more vulnerable to anxiety, depression and insomnia. 

The good news is that there is lots we can do Nutritionally to offer support during this period and testing we can do to see exactly what is going on.

The goal of nutritional treatment during Perimenopause is to:

• Support Progesterone production
• Metabolise Estrogen effectively
• Reduce Inflammation

Some tips:

Reduce Alcohol as it impairs metabolism of estrogen and lowers progesterone.

Eat a balanced diet. Ensuring enough protein and fats along with good quality carbohydrates and plenty of antioxidant’s can really help.

Specific foods such as oranges, grapes, mushrooms, celery, onion, coriander and fennel actually reduce the excessive production of estrogen. Others, like the cruciferous family (brassica vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower), activate phase I and phase II metabolism of hormones, while fiber-rich foods improve bowel clearance, contributing to effective hormone detoxification.

Turmeric has estrogen clearing and anti inflammatory benefits also as well as the ability to ‘lighten’ periods.

Life style – Rest and Self Care – Our body’s have limited resources to create hormones. When we are creating lots of stress hormones we do not have enough resources to create adequate progesterone. This is known as the progesterone steal. Think of ways you can reduce stress in your life? Can you switch to a more relaxing form of exercise I.e yoga rather then intensive high interval training etc, get massages, meditate, cut back on work or find other ways to get more balance?

If need be we can do hormonal testing to see what patterns exist either blood, urine or saliva. My test of choice is the DUTCH test which is an easy to complete at home urine test that looks at all of the sex hormones like progesterone, estrogen and testoserone along with sleep and feel good hormones like melatonin and DHEA plus cortisol a stress hormone.  It also looks at how estrogen is metabolised which is very important for prevention of estrogen positive cancers.  We can also track your cycle.

You can also request tests from your GP (they may be more limited but can help). I would avoid hormonal birth control though as anything that stops the body naturally ovulating like the Contraceptive pill as this will inhibit progesterone production – you need to ovulate to create progesterone, and you should make the most of this while your body is still producing it.

There are also many supplements that can help but these are best considered on a case by case basis.  Read my blog about Magnesium for PMS as this could also help.  For an assessment of your symptoms and a plan specific to your needs you can book here or read more about what you receive with a consultation here

Also all consultations booked before the 25 August 2019 get a free 1 month meal plan.  This can be a hormone balancing plan with plenty of recipes to set you up for success!