So what's the big deal here - what is perimenopause?
Ladies, it's time to talk!
When most of us discuss menopausal symptoms and changes, we are mostly actually talking about the changes that happen during perimenopause.
Some facts:
- Perimenopause is the stage leading up to menopause.
- Can last up to 10 years, and hormonal changes start around the age of 40.
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Early signs of perimenopause include:
- a change in the duration or timing of your menstrual cycle
- gradual weight gain...so annoying
- interruptions to sleep
- sore breasts
- changes in mood
Perimenopause happens because most of the time, our ovaries don’t just suddenly stop working. Instead, ovaries gradually slow down over time as they begin to “run out” of eggs. This ovarian slowing affects levels of hormones including oestrogen and progesterone. This causes changes in menstrual periods and other symptoms.
A common feature of perimenopause is irregular menstrual periods. Periods may come less often or sometimes even more often. They may be longer or shorter than usual and bleeding may be lighter or heavier than usual. PMS can also get worse as our hormones pay havoc.
For many though, the first sign is gradual weight gain. We're talking really gradual, and sitting around your middle as your metabolism starts to slow. This is the time you might not even realise your hormones are starting to change.
Symptoms of perimenopause aren’t fun (in fact, a lot of them are truthfully pretty daunting). The severity of symptoms can vary greatly from woman to woman but definitely seem to be made worse by stress, lack of exercise and / or poor diet.
This isn’t to make you feel guilty (we all do enough of that already), but prioritising your own sleep and health during menopause can sure set you up for happier and healthier decades to come.
That's why we created Eir.
Our simple solutions to supplement life over 40 are:
- Great friends we can share our stories with
- Supplements like Eir that are created with you in mind
- The occasional G&T works wonders
Love Eir x