Written by: Kathy Fritz, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you’re a woman in your 40s, “perimenopause” might have been a word that was thrown around at your last physical. You may even have spent a little time Googling it, which likely created more confusion than solutions.
Don’t worry, you’re in good company!
Most of my clients are unaware of what’s happening to their bodies during perimenopause, so I put together the top 5 questions my clients ask and my answers to them.
1. What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the 10+ years where your ovaries slowly become less active in your endocrine system.
What that actually means: your body doesn’t ovulate every month.
Without ovulation, your progesterone won’t spike like it used to, and in the meantime, your estrogen fluctuates wildly from month to month.
At this point, you may be imagining a bucking bronco named Hormone Havoc taking you for a ride that lasts years. Unfortunately, this is true for many women, but it doesn’t have to be for you!
2. How do I know if I’m in perimenopause?
First, you should know that perimenopause can begin as early as 35.
Symptoms predate period changes, so you’ll experience some new and different symptoms before anything happens to your menstrual cycle. In other words, most of my clients feel a little off, but they assume it’s not hormonal because their periods are still regular.
If you’re not feeling like yourself and you’re over 35, don’t overlook your hormones! It might just be perimenopause!
3. When my period does start to change, what will happen?
Most women find that first, the time between cycles shortens, usually by only 2-3 days. However, some women start getting their periods every 2-3 weeks! (Thanks, I’ll pass.)
As you continue on the perimenopause road, you may skip a period, then have an especially heavy one. You might skip for several months and then return to regular periods.
It’s kind of like playing the The Big Wheel Game on The Price is Right, but instead of numbers, your wheel has different amounts of flow for each period. Heavy, light, spotting, and my favorite...twice in a month!
4. Wait, symptoms come before the period changes?! What symptoms?
Cue the Space Jam theme song- “Y’all ready for this?”
Any of these can indicate that you’re in perimenopause:
You feel stressed or anxious and can’t shake it.
You feel sad or alone.
You can’t concentrate.
You’ve gained weight, especially in the hips.
You can’t sleep.
You have no energy.
You are bloated.
Your PMS is awful.
And there are other symptoms! These are just the most common.
5. What can I do to help myself with perimenopause?
This is my favorite question and the most important one, because you can honestly do a lot!
When I work with a client, we start with looking at her food and we figure out which foods are supporting her hormones and which are hijacking them.
Then we look at her movement habits, how much she’s exercising and just as important, how she’s exercising.
Lastly, we look at lifestyle habits and consider her sleep, play, stress management, sun exposure, and other factors.
I can hear you though- That’s great, Kathy, but can you give me a few pointers now?
Absolutely!
Pointer No.1: Eat more veggies and high-quality protein.
Leafy vegetables and cruciferous veggies are particularly good for you if you’re in perimenopause.
better quality your protein, the easier your body can use it, so opt for grass-fed and finished meats, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs.
Pointer No.2: More interval training, less running for miles and miles (or sitting for hours and hours).
Interval training engages our fight or flight response, but in a positive, fat-burning way that optimizes our hormones.
Running for miles and miles can stress your body out so that it holds onto fat. Sitting for hours and hours, well, I’m sure you already know how that isn’t good for you!
Pointer No.3: Create a self-care routine that you stick to.
Stress is the number one hormone disruptor, so once you get your stress management figured out, you’re going to be much less symptomatic.
Self-care looks different for everyone- the key is finding what works for you. Maybe it’s a 20 minute Epsom salt bath, but maybe it’s looking at photos from when you were in high school.
What matters is you find a routine and you prioritize it.
If you’re looking for a little more guidance on naturally balancing your hormones, download my Action Guide.
Kathy Fritz, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kathy Fritz helps women in perimenopause and menopause experience relief from hormonal symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, moodiness, and sleeplessness through nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle choices. Her clients lose weight, rediscover their energy, feel sexy, and define themselves on their terms as they become wise women who trust their intuition. In addition to helping individuals, Kathy is also working to change the negative narrative surrounding middle age. She is part of a movement to reclaim and redefine this time of life as one of joy, intimacy, and ease.
