Perimenopause- Start Here

Ahh yes, the first signs that your body is developing into a new era, congrats! You may experience; irregular cycles, heavier cycles, weight gain, cravings, mood swings, hot flashes and definitely resigning your white pants to the back of the cupboard. The main thing that happens in peri-menopause, is that we stop ovulating every month. For some of us this isn’t anything new… Hello Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), but for others it’s a whole new experience. 

Because we aren’t ovulating as frequently, progesterone is the first hormone to start to drop, this means that our Oestrogen starts to become un-opposed. Remembering that oestrogen is the hormone that builds up your uterine lining, and the growth of our egg, this means heavier periods, and because the brain is confused too, you become irregular too. The severity of the ups and downs, as well as the heaviness can be dependant on your thyroid and insulin levels. It’s a good idea to get these babies checked, particularly if you’re feeling cold, fatigued and backed up. 

This stage can go on for several years. Some of the first signs you may notice are, heavy irregular periods, fatigue, irritability and forgetfulness. Keeping in mind these symptoms can be explained by a number of other things, if you think you’re heading into menopause it’s a good idea to go and get your blood FSH levels checked by your doctor. This level has to be consistently up and increasing for peri-menopause to be established. If you have symptoms and want to know what to do about them, head over to the tabs above.