The Positive Power of Perimenopause
I truly believe perimenopause is an opportunity. It’s not a list of symptoms or a disease needing treatment.
Perimenopause is usually defined as the period leading up to our menopause.
Menopause is defined as the day 12 months after our final menstrual period. The end of our cycles.
This causes big hormonal changes in our bodies as the levels of progesterone and oestrogen drop. These hormonal changes create physical and emotional symptoms that vary wildly from one woman to the next.
I’ve been learning about perimenopause for 12 years, and living through the transition myself.
It’s been incredible to witness how the conversation and dialogue has changed in that time. How much more openly discussed it is, and how much more support is available, even than 10 years ago.
It’s also been an eye opener to experience it in my own body, and notice the impact of internal and external factors on symptoms and strategies.
Because I think there’s a part of the conversation that I think is often missing. The personal.
The personal approach to perimenopause
Perimenopause is a personal experience, this transition moment has a strong connections with our stress levels, our emotional resilience, our current health conditions, especially autoimmune conditions, and our self perception when it comes to midlife.
It impacts all women differently - some experience no issues at all, whereas for some it is physically and emotionally devastating. Many of us fall into the middle, challenged by some symptoms, or struggling with mood and anxiety shifts.
It’s really important that we allow our experience to be valid. And that we don’t allow our dreams and goals to be sidelined either.
Where do you start with perimenopause?
I have seen lists of 32 key perimenopause symptoms. I have seen lists of 100s of associated symptoms.
Hot flushes, brain fog, sleep disturbance, digestive changes, hair and skin changes, mood changes, energy shifts, low libido, rage, anxiety, joint aches, weight changes. The lists are long. And not fun.
There even can be interactions and overlap with any ongoing chronic conditions,
AND it can be a powerful moment in which we step into a real sense of who we are and how we want to show up for ourselves in the next stage of life.
What I do know is that every client I’ve worked with, or friend I’ve talked with experiences these symptoms differently. The variety, the intensity, and the disruption.
I’ve also seen in many clients that their stress levels and general busy-ness have a huge impact too. Symptoms become more disruptive, and more intense.
It can be hugely helpful to build self awareness in this stage of life, as that can help buffer the avalanche of guidance, advice and misinformation that we can receive online if we start lookin for it.
How do you start taking perimenopause personally?
Start tracking your menstrual cycle
even if you have hormonal contraception it can still be useful to explore to explore the ebb and flow of your energy and any symptoms.
Key things to track would be symptoms, sleep, energy, and outlook
You can use an online app or a journal, there are a few specialist journals like the one created by Kate Codrington.
Tracking for 3 months can help you notice any patterns in symptoms, and whether they are triggered by your hormonal cycle, external events, or even something you eat or drink.
Tracking can help you work out if the supplement, dietary change, or medication you’re trying is having the impact you hoped.
Tracking can also help you notice how this changes over time as your perimenopause progresses.
When you start tracking it can give you more power when you step into the doctors office or plan your work and social life too. You can feel more empowered when it comes to noticing changes, as well as not feeling ruled by your mood or low energy.
I’ve got a guide to get you started with tracking here.
Consider the 4 key pillars of your wellbeing, and where you can tweak your habits and lifestyle to benefit.
Sleep - often disrupted in perimenopause, we can benefit from making sure we have a consistent sleep/wake schedule, rest during the day if we have slept badly, and explore breathwork, meditation, and other techniques to get ourselves back to sleep if we wake at 3am.
Stress levels - this is a key factor I’ve experienced for myself and see in my clients - that our perimenopause symptoms are often exacerbated by stress, and that stress can come from multiple sources - parenting, financial concerns, the workplace, caring responsibilities for children and/or elderly relatives. Finding ways to create downtime, to explore meditation, movement, and connection as a way to mitigate stress can be really helpful.
Movement - low energy can be a big thing in our perimenopause transition, which can get in the way of heavy gym workouts , or long runs. I find that little and often is key for us in this stage. A walk after dinner, a class that you enjoy at the gym or community centre, finding a pal to exercise with you, and trying something new, can all be good ways to explore a movement habit. I find a 10 minute walk after lunch really helps with the afternoon slump!
Nourishment - with midlife can come changes in our body shape and how we respond to food and alcohol. It can be really helpful to include plenty of protein and fibre to ensure we have consistent energy during the day, as well as to avoid restrictive diets that deplete energy further. Finding pleasure and joy in food can be helpful too. Some small things that can help are - drinking more water, reducing caffeine, cutting down on alcohol, chewing food slowly, planning meals with plenty of protein and veg.
Explore which of these feels most important, and make small, easy changes that fit with your life.
Changing too much, too quickly can cause us to give up too quickly. Making these changes alongside menstrual cycle tracking can also help you work out how much it helps! We can find ourselves overwhelmed by the quick fix diet, or the perfect workout plan, or those ads for supplements, creams and all sorts when so many of the most effective changes happen in the kitchen, and in the ways we can create boundaries and pockets of time for ourselves.
I’ve got a guide you can download to help you start making these changes here.
