How to Tell if You’re in Perimenopause When You Don’t Have a Period

A lot of women don’t know whether they’re in perimenopause. This happens for the following reasons:

• They are very young and their doctor is saying it’s too soon

• They have had a hysterectomy

• They have an IUD or continuous birth control so that there is no period.

As the body ages, the egg may not produce a good corpus luteum, which produces progesterone.

The ovaries tend to switch back and forth, ovulating from one and then the other, so there may be a period where symptoms shift each month from good to bad because one ovary is doing better than the other at ovulating.

When there is not enough female hormone, the body will attempt to convert the adrenal hormone cortisol into the sexual hormones of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

So, stopping the production of hormones does not happen completely or all at once! It's up and down. I often assess if busy women have enough adrenal hormones to convert to sexual hormones.

You make cortisol or you make estrogen. One month you ovulate and have your own natural progesterone and one month you don't.  

I often say that perimenopause is like driving a car that keeps getting a flat tire – very frustrating. Perimenopause often lasts 10 or more years and early perimenopause is often confusing. Estrogen affects many tissues in the body and is involved in conditions like ADHD, UTI’s, migraines, or hip pain getting worse.

You may have talked to your doctor and felt dismissed. What do you do now?

Step 1 is always to start charting. Chart your medication if you are taking a pill. Chart

any bleeding you have and note it on a calendar or app.

Step 2 is always to go see your doctor to check your hormone levels. Let them know you are trying to figure out what is happening with your hormones because you are experiencing some symptoms, and make sure to list each one.

Step 3 is to visit with a provider like me who reviews labs, symptoms,

supplements, and medications to make a plan to improve your health and

symptoms while understanding what is happening in your body.

If you are very young and experiencing these symptoms, you are likely experiencing issues with ovulation and hormones that can be brought back into a normal balance. This can happen to women after they have given birth or because of a lack of nutrients to make healthy hormones.

I see this more and more frequently. Any period or hormone issue should be evaluated, including depression, migraines, and other symptoms that worsen with the period. Whether it’s perimenopause, PCOS, or Endometriosis, you’ll likely respond well to acupuncture and herbs.

Many providers base their assessments on your symptoms. Other providers always do

blood work, or the Dutch test or a saliva test to determine what is happening inside your

body. I personally like to use symptoms unless the body is not responding to treatment

with herbs, supplements, and acupuncture. I would prefer to spend money on treatment

instead of testing.

If you are in your 40’s, then it’s getting more likely to experience full blown perimenopause.

At this point in time, my personal preference is usually to use herbs to support the estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone and to gently support other systems to maintain a healthy state as you go through perimenopause. This can be done even if you have had a hysterectomy.

Women in perimenopause are the most complex hormonal system in your

household. More complicated than your husband who will make testosterone and

cortisol at the same time. More complicated than your teenagers starting puberty.

Be kind to yourself. I went off the cliff at 46 and had all the symptoms. I got diagnosed

with ADHD. I was angry. I was sweating. I was not sleeping. I had dryness and low

libido.

Even knowing how to fix it, it was hard on me, my marriage, and my husband.

In three to six months, you can start to feel more normal again with the right treatments. By three months, I was doing better. By six months, I felt much more normal.

I love helping women minimize symptoms and naturally overcome the issues of low hormones with herbs and acupuncture. I can also work with patients who are on hormones. I simply evaluate you based on what medications you are taking along with your symptoms.

There is no perfect solution for perimenopause. Ideally, resting more and minimizing stress is helpful. Acupuncture is absolutely amazing for supporting a healthy period, and there are fantastic formulas in Chinese Medicine for breakthrough bleeding or anger around hormones.

Never suffer ladies!! I work with women in the US by Zoom and at my clinic in Lakewood, CO. I offer a free consultation so you can see if this treatment is a good fit for you without any pressure. Often a little work goes a long way, you just need to get started.