Three Hard Truths about Perimenopause

Feeling the pains of perimenopause is tough.

You might wonder if you’re actually in perimenopause? Should you see your doctor, and how often? How do you know if you’ve researched your symptoms thoroughly enough to make a decision on hormone replacement therapy?

This time in your life is difficult for several reasons but knowing what they are and how you can address them will make your life with perimenopause easier.

Your treatment will need to change periodically because your body is changing

I use different solutions for my own perimenopause symptoms – I’ve been in active perimenopause hell since I was 46, now I am 51. I was able to resolve my first round of symptoms.

However, I have had to change my treatment strategy 5 times. It was low estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone initially. When my issues started to stem from ovulation, I used a different natural strategy.

Then I had heavy bleeding, so I tweaked my herbal formula routine. After that, I had too much estrogen, and I got the dreaded nipple shocks. So, I stopped my natural formula for estrogen. Now I am having the very beginning of hot flashes again.

It’s so frustrating.

Perimenopause is NOT a disease ladies. You want and need to know if your doctor will or will not prescribe hormone replacement therapy. You need to know the difference between taking oral birth control, an IUD, creams, and supplements and when it’s time to change your treatment.

Over and over, I see women adding too many things to their treatment plan. You might double down and use natural over the counter herbal hormone solution, hormone replacement therapy, and take another supplement.

STOP. Your body doesn’t need any more overwhelm.

Once your nervous system relaxes, your body is going to start making its own hormones again! It’s going to take your adrenal hormones and make estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, which is why so many women end up feeling better for a few months and then get worse again.

We have a great graphic on how to evaluate if your treatment is working. It helps you take a step back and reflect whether your current plan is working, so you can take steps to adjust your plan.

You need to be careful of your expectations.

Often, I meet women who are getting a lot of relief from certain supplements, herbs, or hormone replacement therapy. Because of the extreme change in your body, you might be convinced that you are not doing enough and keep adding more supplements.

Personally, I’m on quite a few supplements and herbs. I have several things I take to support relaxation, sleep, stress, my hormones, my immune system, and energy. There will be good days and bad days, but the right formula will give you more good days.

I tell women that perimenopause is like driving a car with two flat tires or using two different bookkeeping programs. Your body keeps switching around with long cycles, short cycles, missed cycles, and new symptoms.

You’ll have to take better care of yourself now than ever before to feel good, which can be hard to adjust to if you’re constantly taking care of those around you first.

Stress and sleep are your two main things to work on because your body either makes cortisol or hormones through adrenal conversion at any given time. So, saying no and scheduling extra time to rest is important.

The next two things to work on are exercise and diet. Fat resembles estrogen, so when you’re low on estrogen, your body might compensate by making more fat. If you begin hormone changes without enough muscle, you will struggle to burn fat.

Often, women in this stage of life need some support around stress and digestion and may become more sensitive to sugars, alcohols, hard cheese, chocolate, coffee, and grains. Overhauling your diet and paying attention to how your body is handling how you treat it will steer you in the right direction.

 Your body is right; acceptance is the way out of stress

Stress was a huge trigger for me, but after learning to manage perimenopause I am no longer at a high stress or symptom level now.

No matter how well researched your strategy for treating your low hormone symptoms, your body is right. If you think hormone replacement therapy is the answer, and you don’t feel better on it by 3-6 months, then your body is right and it’s not your answer right now.

If you feel better when you take a supplement, then your body is right. Learning to pay attention to how you feel and believe your body is an important skill to develop.

Yin and yang teach us that we must balance. In our busy western culture, I have a hard time convincing people to do LESS, but that’s what your body needs as you come into this change. Less appointments, less stress, less work, and more time to yourself. Acupuncture offers a much-needed rest for your body.

I tell my patients that we are trying to fill up a cup you are drinking out of. When your cup is fuller, your symptoms will disappear. However, once you feel better you may start to do more, and the cup drains again.

Getting help with hormones might seem too costly of an investment at first, but female hormones are very important for all your organs to function well. That’s why it’s important to make the investment in yourself now before your problems become too out of hand.

It’s a very personal decision to treat your symptoms in a way that makes sense to you and works well to keep you healthy, sane, and thriving in your next stage of life. My 15 years of experience allows me to help you navigate the complexity of your body and find joy in life as you transition. Schedule an appointment and we'll come up with a plan tailored to your needs to handle perimenopause naturally.