When you finally think you can take your mind off the constant hormonal circus (puberty, pregnancy, and the postpartum period), you realise your body isn’t done with challenging you. You start sweating out of nowhere, your period goes all crazy (sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t), you feel anxious, and everyone is getting on your nerves – you've probably stepped in a new phase of a woman’s life. Yeah, we really can’t get a break.

This means that your body & state of mind might be in perimenopause. 

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the transitional phase into menopause. You can feel the symptoms anywhere from your mid-30‘s to your early 50s, and it can last up to a decade to fully transition.

Now, if you're thinking you might've read somewhere that it’s called premenopause – it's actually not. Your premenopause era started when you got surprised by your first period all those years ago and ends with the first symptom of discomfort that menopause brings. And perimenopause is the era you’re in right now, and we're here to help you discover all of the premenopausal signs and symptoms.

So, what is happening in your beautiful body?

In premenopause your key hormones were oestrogen and progesterone, which took good care of your uterus. While you’re still menstruating, this new stage brings lots of ups and down (literally) because your levels of oestrogen are decreasing. And this hormonal circus brings premenopausal signs and symptoms.

What are the signs of perimenopause?

All of them! Your low oestrogen levels may cause many discomforts, and to properly brace yourself against them, let’s have a look at what might change from premenopause.

It's important to remember that every perimenopause is unique, so unfortunately you can’t compare symptoms with your friends. It's also completely understandable if you didn’t recognise you were in this new era – because the signs and symptoms are also common for other stressful things in a woman’s life (like general hormonal imbalance or daily stress). 

The best trick to distinguish perimenopause from the actual menopause is by period tracking. When your period is missing for 12 months consecutively, you are officially in menopause. But until then you have to survive some not so cute symptoms.

The first sign is usually skipping your period. Also, the menstrual flow can get a little bit lighter or shorter than usual (but it can also be heavier or longer, so cross your fingers it’s the first option).

Because of hormonal fluctuation, your libido might change. That doesn’t mean it vanishes, it can also happen that it increases! One of the symptoms is also vaginal dryness and it can get really inconvenient. You can solve this problem with vaginal moisturisers or lubricants that you can buy without prescription.

Peaceful nights can get disrupted by night sweats and insomnia. For night sweats we recommend loose-fitting cotton or linen pyjamas and to always keep a glass of cold water on your nightstand to sip through the night. For treating insomnia, keeping your bedroom at a cool temperature and as quiet as possible can really help! Limit your coffee dates to mornings and avoid them in the afternoon to fall asleep easier.

As for the psychological symptoms, it can be like puberty, all over again. Be ready to welcome back the moods swings, headaches, and trouble concentrating.

Why do some women experience premature menopause in their mid-30s?

Like predicting the future, this is really hard to tell. You can get into premature menopause for no clear reason.

Some recent studies have shown that the environment also affects the start of menopause. The culprits are endocrine disruptors, formally called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). They shorten your reproductive lifespan and speed up the emergence of the premenopausal signs and symptoms. 

Endocrine disruptors can be natural chemicals or made by us humans. What they do is mimic, block, or interfere with your hormones and make chaos in your body. 

So, where do you usually come into contact with them? The answer is frightening. They are everywhere and you probably encounter them every single day. EDCs are hidden in your plastic water bottle and plastic containers for meal-prepping, some detergents, toys, cosmetics, and in the infamous pesticides. But don’t panic! We have some smart tips for avoiding these criminals. 

The first hack is easy: swap your plastic bottles with the glass ones! For the detergents and cosmetics try to pick hypoallergenic, fragrance-free and natural products, you can spot them immediately by their significant green designs and big texts screaming BIO and ECO. As for pesticides it's a little bit trickier. Choose organic or locally produced foods (your best shot is at local farmer’s markets).

How to treat premenopausal signs and symptoms naturally

The best thing you can do is to show your body some love with daily exercise and diet, by incorporating slight changes into your daily routine.

Exercise is your best option (and the most natural one). Start taking short 30-minute walks in the park to ease your mind and body, and if you feel like it you can try to do some Pilates or yoga! Women report that it really does wonders for their wellbeing in general.

For your meals, choose light and nutritious food. It would be best if you could avoid alcohol, fast foods full of fat and sugar, and spicy foods (to save yourself from hot flashes). Stick to brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, fatty fish (like salmon) and a handful of nuts a day.

The most complicated symptoms to treat are of course the psychological ones. For starters, try some meditation. Start by sitting on the floor in your living room with your eyes closed and with relaxing music playing in the background. Some women even meditate in the bathtub or on their daily walk! But if things get really overwhelming, consider talking to someone. Lots of women report feeling so much better after opening up about their issues and this transition to menopause gets much easier. And remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

To holistically support your body and mind during those challenging times, you can always find help in supplements, as they are proven to be a great natural treatment for premenopausal symptoms. The best thing to do would be to balance your hormones, as in this stage of your life, they are in the spotlight.

Regardless of your age or the era you’re currently in (it may be premenopause, perimenopause or the actual menopause) it’s important to show your hormones some love – not just to some, but to all of them.

Up to 80% of women experience hormonal imbalance at some point. You can recognise imbalance by feeling tired all the time, everyone getting on your nerves, feeling stressed and even gaining unexpected weight. Balancing hormones should be a top priority for women as it keeps everything functioning inside of your body.

Hormones in Harmony bundle is designed for every woman. With natural extracts it provides care for your PMS, metabolism, emotional balance, cortisol levels, sleep and your most important hormone provider – the thyroid. And the products are completely hormone-free!

Balance your oestrogen levels, improve focus, ease mood swings, and even lose some weight with Hormonal Balance. To breathe freely despite all the challenges in your life, put your stress hormone levels in balance with Cortisol Balance, and for supporting your underactive thyroid we designed Thyroid Balance.

Don’t just wait for the storm to happen. Get yourself a beautiful umbrella and calmly wait for it to pass.

And we’re always here to get you the best designed umbrellas there are.

Sources

Product: Hormones in Harmony | TummyTox (tummy-tox.com)

Neff AM, Laws MJ, Warner GR, Flaws JA. The Effects of Environmental Contaminant Exposure on Reproductive Aging and the Menopause Transition. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2022 Mar;9(1):53-79. doi: 10.1007/s40572-022-00334-y. Epub 2022 Feb 1. PMID: 35103957; PMCID: PMC8988816.