…that nobody warned you about
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What is Peri menopause?
To put perimenopause symptoms simply: They’re the matinee to the sh*t show that is menopause/post menopause.
You’re about to run out of eggs.
Starting anywhere from your thirties until your fifties, peri-menopause is the precursor to menopause, where your oestrogen levels rise and fall like a roller-coaster.
I wish I could tell you that having your monthly visitor suddenly cease with no physical or emotional effect was going to happen. It’s really not like that at all.
Not that every person goes through the same version of peri, but from what I understand, I wasn’t alone in my journey.
This blog is to prepare you and perhaps offer some sense as to what you may not realise is related to the drop of hormones in your body.
5 Perimenopause Symptoms
- Sex
You could go from experiencing raging teenage boy hormones to a celibate nun in the matter of minutes.
Your desires will most likely change. This is normal… Confusing, but normal.
As you can well imagine, your hormones are up and down like a yo-yo, so it makes sense that your sexual desire will follow the same pattern.
- Intermittent cycles
Ovulation is now becoming unpredictable. Not sure if she’s coming or going, your intermittent periods will have you in good supply of pregnancy test kits because you “just want to make sure”.
Anything over 60 days without a period usually means you’re in the latter stages of peri-menopause. And once you reach 12 months without, you’re officially in hell / menopause.
- Hair
This hair we speak of appears in places you don’t want it. Usually found in really open and obvious spaces so others can point and laugh at. Chins, ears, toes, knees.. you name it, they’ll show up uninvited. And most likely a rapid appearance and coarse & grey.
Whyyyyy?
As we drop in oestrogen, our testosterone remains the same – this means male-like coarse hairs may appear.
- Beauty treatments
This one sucks! Each time you spend a fortune having your stray hairs coloured, your body parts waxed, your ageing head hair coloured, eyelashes tinted and lifted…. There will be a missing hormone that will perplex your beautician and your credit card as to why your treatment didn’t work this time.
The best explanation for your skin and head hair:
“Melanin, or pigment, is what causes your hair and skin to be dark or light. It’s completely normal for the amount and type of melanin your body produces to fluctuate as you age.”
sharecare.com
- Random illnesses
Sore joints, rashes, painful teeth.. the list of inexplicable and completely random illnesses is surprisingly continuous.
I wish there was an explanation as to why this occurs, and perhaps with time more research will be available. However, for now, you can probably blame anything strange happening to you on peri menopause. (Still go get that sh*t checked out if it seems life threatening.)
Other peri menopause symptoms
As well as the above mentioned symptoms, you will have all the usual suspects making an appearance, most likely only occasionally and not too strong during the peri phase.
- Sleep issues
- Hot Flushes
- Tiredness
- Itchy skin
- Brain Fog
- Vaginal dryness
- Mood swings
- Weight gain
Not that there’s too much to fear about your transition, however, be aware that there are areas where your body and mind will send you all manner of crazy signals that you may not have been aware of.
At Three Deep Breaths we can offer many solutions to maintain a reduction in the symptoms of peri menopause. If you’re interested in learning more click here.
What you can do NOW
All the wacky bodily expressions above (along with others) will continue into menopause, so I recommend beginning your personal health regime as soon as you can.
Simple things like cutting down (or cut out) sugar, alcohol, and cigarettes will help relieving insomnia, hot flushes and moodiness.
Bamboo clothing and bed linen are really helpful in cooling your internal temperature at night. I have purchased my linen from here.
Meditation and mindfulness practices to help with the mood swings. Meditation is my answer to everything, but please trust that meditation will sufficiently reduce your mood swings.
Obviously, exercise for weight loss needs to incorporated. Although the body is giving you a big “Fk NO!” about doing anything other than couch sitting, you will have to manually override the mind and move.
Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong are great gentle movements that will help build strength and create flexibility (mentally and physically), as well as a big reduction in fluctuating feelings.
However, cardio is what is really required to enable weight loss.
And, think about the uplifting of moods when we exercise. It’s well worth the initial struggle and pain.
See here for our YouTube channel where you will find Yoga sequences to help with all symptoms related to the hormonal changes occurring in Peri and Menopausal women.
Above all else, if you haven’t done the internal work yet – NOW is the time. Find yourself a professional that will help guide you to work on those deep-seated traumas so that they don’t appear during a mood swing.
(There are options at Three Deep Breaths where we can help you work through some traumas.)
Self Development
Peri-menopause is the first serious reminder to look after ourselves and pay more attention. Putting boundaries in place to ensure a gentle transition is imperative. Not only for you, but for the safety of your family, friends and anyone you come in contact with. 😉
Because if we don’t start putting our physical, mental and spiritual health first there will be emotional carnage to deal with. We will appear moody, angry, and volatile if we don’t start putting emotional perimeters in place to ensure we are gently transitioning into a oestrogen-free being.
First suggestion is to work on your trauma triggers so that you are not projecting onto others during a down swing in emotions.
It’s also time to start booking those regular massages, time to create “me” time, time to do those things that make your soul happy, time to be mindful, and importantly – it’s time to put you first for a change.
If ever you have been on a flight somewhere you will have heard the safety instructions at least once… You know that part where they talk about putting your oxygen mask on before you can help others – this is what we are talking about. How can you possibly help others if your own stocks are empty?
Be Kind, Be Gentle, Be Compassionate
– to Yourself, to Others and to Mother Earth.
At Three Deep Breaths, we love hearing about your journey.. so please drop us a line and/or join our Facebook group “Menopause – Naturally“.
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