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Do you remember how puzzling and strange it was to begin having your periods? Well, a lot of women think perimenopause, or pre-menopause, feels the same way. Until recently, conventional medicine didn't even recognize these transition years as a legitimate event. In fact, unless you had been pronounced “officially” in menopause (when hormone replacement could be prescribed) most doctors would have told you that your symptoms would pass, or they were “all in your head.” Even today, women struggling with hormonal upheavals often are sent home with a prescription for antidepressants!
However, integrative medical practitioners recognized long ago that before a woman enters menopause, she experiences a time of transition. These years are different for every woman, but it’s a time when your hormones might be unpredictable, and for some women that causes serious distress.
Thankfully, conventional medicine finally has caught up with what half the world already knew—and we now have an accepted name for this passage: perimenopause, the transition time that comes before menopause. It’s not an illness, but for many women, the hormonal fluctuations and imbalances bring uncomfortable symptoms. But read on—there are simple, natural ways to treat your symptoms, so you can enjoy this time of life!
Not sure whether you’ve entered perimenopause? You have plenty of company. One aspect of this life phase that’s so confusing to women is its timing— for some it can begin up to 15 years before a woman stops menstruating and “officially” meets menopause!
Some of the most common symptoms are: mood swings, heavy bleeding, hot flashes, poor sleep, headaches, low energy, increased anxiety, irregular periods, dry eyes, hair loss, weight gain, and loss of sex drive.
Some women notice more subtle changes such as difficulty focusing, or their short-term memory can be affected. We don’t hear much about fuzzy thinking, or about women losing their ability to multitask, but they’re definitely connected to what’s going on with your hormones.
Maybe it will be reassuring to read that, even though you feel big changes in your body during perimenopause, women’s bodies are always changing. The shifts are just more exaggerated at certain times of your life, especially during puberty and perimenopause.
During this stage, the amounts of estrogen and progesterone are almost constantly in flux. If your estrogen levels are higher than usual, they may be linked to eating too many simple carbs (pasta, bagels) and too little quality protein (lean fish, meats), along with not enough essential nutrients and fats, and constant exposure to environmental toxins and endocrine disruptor chemicals, or EDCs. If you’re under prolonged emotional and physical stress—which I define as anything that works against your natural state of balance—this to can put your hormonal equilibrium out of kilter. In today’s fast-paced, disconnected, estrogen-dominant society, I’m not a bit surprised that we’re seeing perimenopause symptoms in younger women all the time. (Click here to learn more about estrogen dominance and endocrine disruptors)
Some women in perimenopause have too little progesterone, while others have the right amount of progesterone but their estrogen counts still are too high. We also see more women these days whose key hormones—estrogen, progesterone and testosterone—all are too low. That only shows how very individual we are! Every woman’s hormone levels need to be evaluated differently, preferably by a medical practitioner who knows the value of integrative or alternative medicine.
Remember that experiencing perimenopausal symptoms doesn’t mean you’re headed straight for menopause. Some women spend years in this transition, while others reach menopause in just a few months. The level of discomfort you may feel is determined, in part, by the other burdens you carry over the years. Poor nutrition, caffeine addiction, chronic stress and lack of daily exercise all amplify perimenopause symptoms because they all influence your ability to detoxify and be at your best. If you smoke, or drink too much alcohol, your symptoms are likely to be even worse.
Another factor—one that you won’t hear too many doctors talking about!—is fear. Just when stress and low testosterone are playing games with your libido, you realize that your fertility is coming to an end. Just what you need at that time, right? And our youth-obsessed culture isn’t exactly embracing maturing women, so feelings of anxiety during perimenopause are yet another reason why you need a solid foundation of nutrition, exercise, serenity, and quality supplements to keep you strong now.
Thank goodness, the days are over when conventional doctors didn’t want to talk about perimenopause. But even though they recognize it now as a valid phase of a woman’s life, long-lasting solutions still are hard to find. That’s partly because most doctors don’t believe that people really can change their lifestyles and eating habits. I always disagree with them—I’ve seen that women can and do improve their health all the time! The key is to take the necessary actions to get your hormones balanced and back to that place of wellness.
It’s not rocket science; it simply involves good nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and a proven nutritional supplement such as the Women’s Empowerment Formula. No woman is forced to suffer the symptoms of hormone imbalance—either during perimenopause, at menopause, or later. You can feel better, and you can start right now! I’ve witnessed dramatic transformations in my clients.
Wherever you are in your journey through perimenopause, the Women’s Empowerment Plan can help you balance your hormones and weight and enjoy life once again!
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