Perimenopause

As you get closer and closer to menopause, symptoms such as the following develop:

Technically, menopause is the absence of a period for over 12 months. So menopause is a day in a woman’s life, after that 12-month span. It’s the years leading up to menopause that causes all the trouble. Worse yet, medicine has only a few “answers” for women going through this time period-birth control or antidepressants. Birth control has its own host of issues as synthetic hormones and antidepressants are only covering up the problem, which is hormonal imbalances.

Worse yet, many doctors give trite answers about the severity and complexity of the symptoms, saying that “menopause is a normal part of life.” That is easy to say when you are not the one going through it. Most women aren’t satisfied with that answer. Sure, all women go through menopause and it is a normal part of life, but it would be great if we could talk about strategies to support the process and help alleviate the symptoms.

There is some research that points to the earlier you start your period, the more likely you are to go through menopause early. But, that is not always the case.

Be prepared for changes to your PMS symptoms-becoming either more or less extreme. Mood problems like anxiety and depression can worsen during perimenopause, especially among women who have previously experienced them.

Many of our clients often say that during perimenopause, they felt incredibly irritable and quick to anger in a way that they had never experienced before.

Many women experience hot flashes but not all do and sometimes not until the end of perimenopause. Sometimes they may not recognize them either. They may have periods at night where they wake up hot but do not get “flashes” throughout the day. Some women experience more anxiety and may have symptoms of panic attacks or heart palpitations. These can be very frightening.

Other common symptoms include more frequent urinary tract infections, weight gain, difficulty sleeping through the night, lack of libido and an increase in vaginal dryness that can make sex painful.

Testing for perimenopause can be a challenge. Blood hormone tests can sometimes be difficult to interpret because hormonal cycles become erratic and unpredictable during this stage. However, scheduling labs during the luteal phase (2nd half of your cycle) most often can show significant changes in hormones that affect fertility and symptoms, particularly reduced levels of progesterone. Urinary hormones scheduled at the same time may also illuminate irregularity in hormone patterns.

There are five steps in our unique process:

• We not only listen; we hear you! We spend time with you hearing your story and listening for the “breadcrumbs” that indicate the triggers, mediators and precursors that lead to the imbalance creating your issues. Then we also evaluate your personal history, life and goals to address your needs and goals, not the numbers on your labs.
• Health is balancing the removal of the things that impede health and adding the things needed to create health. We help you remove the top inflammatory offenders in your diet, environment and lifestyle. We personalize this approach to your needs, life and readiness to change. This step reduces systemic inflammation (the cause of so many of your symptoms) and helps us start to create a “healthy garden” to promote health. We know that you cannot get well by poisoning your system and one person’s food is another’s poison. We consider this a “non-negotiable.” Without addressing the foundation of your unique anti-inflammatory diet, it’s hard to go to the next level of treatment and care.
• After we create the healthy garden, we focus on the symptoms that remain. We have a bevy of medical and nutritional testing that can uncover your distinctive needs, to identify triggers and root causes in your past and present life. Through this process, we also aim to address any deficiencies that might be getting in the way of your health and healing. These may be nutrient, physiological or lifestyle deficiencies.
• We meet you where you are. Some people need to go slow and some people can go fast. We work with you, taking into consideration your current health, life demands, and readiness to create a custom blueprint plan that feels right to you and evolves with your progress and your needs. We also can help you maintain this new level of health ongoing with programs and plans for long-term health care. We not only help you get well; we help you stay well.
• We’re with you every step of the way as your partner, not your dictator! We partner with you and any other providers on your healthcare team as a collaborative team helping you navigate your care. We ultimately believe that today’s health challenges are best served by practitioners and clients working together. You need your own personal “quarterback” that helps you understand and make decisions about your health. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone!