How to Figure out if you're in perimenopause

Its not always obvious when something is off.

Shifts in the body can be gradual. Creep in, slowly,over time.

Then one day, a lightbulb jumps on….something isdifferent.


Just as we’re in our groove, getting on with it in one way or another, the health dial starts to wobble around a bit. It begins by just feeling below par one day. Then another day here or there, until you realise that maybe you feel off more days than not?

Health shifts like this (the confusing kind), can seem like they’ve been commissioned with their own undercover assignment, which, in the case of perimenopause, your hormones become the craftiest of secret agents.

It’s not clean cut you see. It’s signature delivery; fine one day, not the next, is typical of this life phase (averaging 4-8 years before menopause), in which hormones fluctuate and symptoms vary wildly from woman to woman. In many cases it’s a personal conundrum that only you,as advocate for yourself, can solve.

For me, the line between postpartum and perimenopause was exceptionally blurred. Third child in at 42 andI knewmy body would need some time to settle. The sleepless nights were bound to take the wind out of my sails, for at least a little while anyway. I knew this.

What was completely unexpected. Was the continuing exhaustion, low mood, loss of strength/ stamina and motivation that accompanied this (the list, it turns out, was more extensive than I realised. On to that later) and theirritabilitythat comes withjust being exhaustedyet still being required to function.That wasnothing to do with having a child whatsoever.

So, cravings kicked in;

COFFEE.

SUGAR.

Anything to just get through the day. Yet let these two into the party long enough and we all know the damage dial has just been turned UP.

I’ve had auto immune hypothyroidism for 10 years. ‘Maybe that was off?’. Over 12 months I went to the doctors 5 times. A few blood tests, medication tweaks.Nothing significant. I needed answers.

Not one medical professional said ‘let’s check yourotherhormones’. Not one.

I blamed myself. For the sugar, the coffee, not getting to bed early enough, inadequate water, getting up too late to take my vitamins etc. I didn’t consider that there was a cause and effect at play.

Then, during a chat with my sister, perimenopause entered the conversation.

As someone with a regular 28 day cycle, who’d just had a baby, this hadn’t been on my radar at all.

I took the Greene climacteric scale, the test used to diagnose perimenopause by clinicians worldwide, but I found the questions vague. As someone who had never had a hot flush or irregular cycle, I wanted concrete evidence that this was what was happening.

I kept a symptom diary and addedeverything(highly recommended) that felt different,because what I came to learn was that nearly every corner of our body and being is managed by reproductive hormones. Even as an experienced, female specific personal trainer, I hadn’t realised how many subtle nuances this could have.

Hormones are the chemical messengers that tell our body what to do. We have oestrogen receptors everywhere. Skin, eyes, ears, gums, brain, muscle, you name it, low hormones can affect it. When in decline, Oestrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone can cause many bodily processes and outcomes to suddenly change.

Skin changes, digestive issues, heightened allergiesandunusual anxiety(this only came to me as I was falling asleep, in the form of unpleasant intrusive thoughts) were some of the things on my list. On top of this, my immune system seemed to have crashed, as I suffered with cold after cold, no matter which vitamins and supplements I took andmy memory; ‘what was I saying again?!’


Next. Doctors appointment,basicbloods. My FSH was elevated, which is an indicator of low Oestrogen and Peri- menopause. I sat with this for a while, even though I was offered HRT right off the bat. I didn’t want to rush a decision like this.

Following this, aprivate blood paneland OMG, theres nothing like the bigger picture, (thank God these exist).

My Oestrogen was so low it had dropped off the scale and every other gynae hormone showed a woman with nothing left. No wonder I felt rubbish. Perimenopause undeniably confirmed. Time to act.

So now I have a plan that is backed by evidence and it’s going well. All though I know from experience it may need some adjustments as this chapter evolves.

Yes perimenopause is normal. Menopause is expected. However living with symptoms that affect your quality of life, is not.

What I’ve come to realise, is that in perimenopause we have a unique and brilliant opportunity to assess where we’re at, what is right for us and what no longer serves us. We can use this catalyst to build the habits we’ve always wanted, ( for the future, whether symptomatic or not), because what this transitional phase offers, is a wonderful chance to focus on ourselves andreset. It’s important that we take it.

Next week I will start to unravel and share exactly what you can do and why your long term health is relying on you, today.

Until then, I’m compiling free resources to help you assess your symptoms and the steps you can take towards a personalised plan. To gain access simply follow @koach_katie on instagram and (better still) hit the bell icon at the top so you don’t miss anything, I’ll be linking everything you need there.

Thank you for reading and supporting my Substack. I hope you continue to subscribe so that my articles can reach the women who need it.

Yours in health,
KOACH Katie x