Perimenopause Symptoms You Just Can’t Ignore & What to Do About Them

Menopause symptoms creep into your life before menopause sets in. They mark the beginning of perimenopause. Similar to menopause, you need to be well informed about these perimenopause symptoms, or else they can swing into your body like a wrecking ball (minus a naked Miley Cyrus swinging from it).

Being a natural phase of life, there is no cure for the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. It is completely natural to experience a variety of symptoms during this evolution. So being well informed about what to expect, can help you make these symptoms your bitch.

Due to the changing levels of oestrogen and progesterone in the women’s bodies, the perimenopausal years mark a remarkable change in their behaviour and anatomy. Personal medical history, genetics, the quality of your diet, how active you are are some of the factors that determine the symptoms that you might suffer from, and their intensity.

Certain measures can be taken to minimise the effects of these symptoms. Making healthy choices in diet (put down that third slice of cake), doing regular exercises (walking to the fridge or stretching to reach the remote, do not count), taking supplements and medicines, managing your stress levels (no you can’t kick your boss in the nuts. Tempting I know, but try yoga instead. Or kickboxing. Might hone your skills for future usage), can all help curb the intensity of menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms, as well as the restructuring the balance of hormones in your body.

A menstrual cycle can be disrupted due to various changes in the hormonal balance of our body and the function of our ovaries. Symptoms of perimenopause might start edging their way into our lives in the early 40s. We start noticing symptoms such as irregular periods, weight gain, a decrease in breast volume, hair thinning and skin dryness. Hot flushes might show up even earlier, in the late 30s itself. In the last 1 to 2 years of perimenopause, this drop in oestrogen speeds up. At this stage, many women have menopause symptoms.

Reduction in oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone are the primary reasons for perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause symptoms. Oestrogen is responsible for giving you your feminine qualities and influencing your reproductive system. Progesterone helps prep the uterus for pregnancy along with some other functions. Testosterone brings along qualities associated with masculinity.

Menopause marks a distinct drop in the production of estrogen by your ovaries. Oestrogen regulates your weight, mood, sleep, sex drive, blood flow and many other things. Its decrease leads to a number of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.

Throw out that junk food, clean out your fridge of takeouts, a new era of clean eating has arisen. In order to aid your rapidly changing hormones and be able to fit in your clothes, you need to stop consuming empty calories. A nourishing, unprocessed diet, is key. Your new best friends are fruits, vegetables, high fibre foods, probiotics, lean proteins like fish, healthy fats such as olive and coconut oil, and foods that supply natural phytoestrogens like flax and fermented soy.

Adhering to a regular exercise routine helps manage body weight. It releases dopamine which helps battle depression and anxiety. Exercise tires the body out, which leads to better sleep quality. It also aids bone density, muscle mass and inflammation.

Evening Primrose oil, Omega 3, adaptogen herbs such as maca or American ginseng, black cohosh help deal with the various symptoms of perimenopause and help regulate your daily life.

Sleep is important during all stages of life. It helps to reduce anxiety and depression, balance hormones and keep the energy levels high. Seven to nine hours of sleep is of paramount importance, especially during perimenopause. This could be a paradox because insomnia is a common problem during perimenopause, which acts as a trigger for other symptoms. You can break this loop by using hormone-balancing essential oils such as lavender and taking magnesium supplements.

Forming a night time routine like reading a book and writing in the journal also helps. Other things that attract sleep better are the use of Epsom salts in a warm bath prior to bed, turning down the temperature in your room, and practising mind-body practices such as yoga and meditation.

The imbalance of hormones in your body makes it vulnerable to anxiety, fatigue and depression, which can further worsen by stress. So it is important to keep it under control. Exercise, picking up an outdoor hobby, joining a yoga class, therapy or having a confidante, associating with positive people, and meditation, are some of the ways to manage stress in daily life.

Perimenopause alters your body, mind and by extension your life in a number of ways. It is a must to accept this phase with positivity, instead of viewing it as a death of normal life as you know it. With an understanding of the symptoms and making a few changes in your life, like your diet, exercises, stress management, and supplements, you can live a relatively well balanced, active and happy life.