Perimenopause – Not Yet Reached Menopause
You may not have yet reached menopause. That’s why your emotional highs and lows may have you confused. You understand that some women experience emotional instability after “the change”. You haven’t hit that point yet, so you are wondering if what you are going through is natural.
Even if you have experienced menopause, the roller coaster ride your emotions sometimes take you on after 40 or so can be frustrating.
Perimenopause, also referred to as menopause transition, can begin many years before actual menopause. Your ovaries slowly begin to create less estrogen. Estrogen is a very powerful hormone that creates much of what can be considered the female experience.
However, there is also usually an even larger reduction in the hormone progesterone, whose job it is to balance estrogen levels. The reductions in these two hormones are not linear, or balanced, resulting in unpredictable and varied ratios of hormone levels in the body at any time.
This can start as early as your 30s, and even earlier in some instances. Perimenopause lasts 4 years on average, but can easily last more than 10 years.
Harsher premenstrual syndrome episodes than normal, fluctuations in your sex drive, fatigue, hot flashes and breast tenderness are all signs that menopause transition has begun. Another sign that perimenopause may have started is an irregular rising or falling of your emotions.
Unexpected and sometimes very unwelcome emotional, mental and even physical changes can develop during this time period.
Metabolism May Slow Down
Your metabolism may slow down considerably and quickly, you experience mood swings, could have difficulty sleeping, and women during this period often develop a “who really cares” attitude about sex.
Women in this stage of life often talk about feeling impatient with their children and family members, even though they know their behavior and attitude is inappropriate.
Problems with weight control can develop, which seemingly no amount of exercise and diet can correct. This is because of what can be considered a perfect storm of hormonal cataclysm known as perimenopause.
Your ovaries cease to function as reliable producers of both estrogen and progesterone. Your period could become irregular, and your adrenal and thyroid glands join in the hormonal imbalance.
For many women, the brain tends to be rather less receptive to hormones during this stage, which means confusing and erratic emotional and physical problems.
Natural Hormonal Fluctuations
Much of this process is controllable. Lifestyle choices play a very big role in how much of an impact hormonal changes have on your mind and body When you start to experience symptoms of perimenopause and other natural hormone fluctuations that happen to women over 40, dietary changes and supplementation can help you manage symptoms.
For instance, problems sleeping, PMS and unpredictable periods could be a sign of low progesterone. Eating foods that have high vitamin C levels, such as citrus fruits, dark leafy greens and bell peppers, can raise your progesterone level.
Mood swings and a lack of energy could be due to hormonal change that creates an overactive stress response. Start a yoga practice and reduce your caffeine consumption to keep cortisol levels manageable.
Depending on the hormonal disruption you experience, there are natural and drug-free lifestyle changes and dietary moves you can make to stop feeling “weird and crazy”, and get back in control of your life and emotions.