wellness
Is Perimenopause Causing My Symptoms?
the period leading to menopause and everything that goes with it
We all hear the term Menopause quite a bit. It’s something that we often dread as we age, that might be felt as the loss of part of ourselves, or maybe it feels like some distant event our mother’s have gone through. In my opinion, menopause isn’t the interesting bit – that is Perimenopause.
Perimenopause is the stage leading up to Menopause, and this is where we start to experience many of the uncomfortable symptoms. However, because we are still cycling, often perimenopause isn’t correctly identified and we don’t get the medical support we need at this stage.
What is Perimenopause?
Perimenopuase is the transitional time leading up to menopause, or the time leading up to when our periods cease. This phase can last 2 – 10 years, and is marked by physical and emotional symptoms such as:
- Shorter and Irregular Cycles
- Mood changes
- Changes in sexual desire
- Trouble concentrating
- Headaches
- Night sweats
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness
- Trouble with sleep
- Joint and muscle aches
- Heavy sweating
- Having to pee often
- PMS-like symptoms
But why?
If you’re at this stage of life, or curious about why you’re experiencing some of the above symptoms you might have looked into perimenopause support. There is hormone replacement therapy, diets, supplements, natural supports like reflexology or acupuncture, and more. I’ll share one support you can get for FREE at the bottom of this post.
But what I’m really curious about is what is happening in our body that starts this change? Why do our hormones start to shift and what’s going on behind the scenes. Anyone else? I thought so, let’s find out!
A Less Talked About Hormone
Let’s introduce Anti-Mullerian Hormone (or AMH) – this is a hormone protein produced by ovarian follicles that are still in a ‘deep sleep’ and haven’t gone on to mature. These are called primordial follicles. When we hear that we had all the eggs we would ever have at birth, it is referencing the immature ovum in these primordial follicles that can later develop into eggs. [1]
“All the eggs a woman will every carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old foetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as en egg begins in the womb of our grandmother. Each of us spent five months in our grandmother’s womb, and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother. We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother’s blood before she herself is born, and this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother.”
– Layne Redmond, When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm
So, these primordial follicles produce AMH. As well as being an indicator of how many potential eggs a female has in their ovaries, AMH also plays a role in our reproductive health. AMH helps to regulate how many primordial follicles begin to mature by helping to slow the rate that the ovarian reserve is depleted. [2]
I will
from Perimenopause
Can AMH Predict Menopause?
“The blood test measures levels of a hormone called anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), which is produced by the cells in women’s ovaries and is a marker for ovarian function. The test could tell women as young as 20 when they would enter menopause. Sixty-three women reached menopause during the course of the study, and the test was able in most cases to predict the age within about four months of the woman’s actual age; the maximum margin of error was between three and four years.” – Katrina Woznicki [3]
Many of the symptoms of Peri-menopause cause us to have more vague symptoms, especially early on, such as not quite feeling ourselves, or feeling like we are stuck in ‘brain fog’. Luckily there are ways, such as testing for AMH, to find out if this might be a factor in our symptoms.
Getting The Care We Need
Whether we are able to get tested for AMH levels, or the more commonly recognized lower estrogen levels or not, there are many options to support our health in perimenopause. So many of us are told that our symptoms are ‘part of being a woman’ and something we should just suffer through. I want to challenge that. I see clients every day that have seen their hot flashes completely disappear. They have more energy, or their mood is more even. In my practice I support clients both in-studio and virtually through reflexology therapy, lifestyle support, and other practices to help support the body’s natural ‘rest and restore’ state.
There are many options for support and you deserve to feel good in all stages of life, even the changes that happen in perimenopause. If you want to know more about how to thrive in perimenopause, reach out at christine@willowtherapies.ca or check out the resources below.
CLICK HERE for your free guide sharing my top 3 practices to reduce perimenopause symptoms naturally.
With Kindness and Love,
Christine McInnis RCRT MARR
Willow Therapies is Christine McInnis, RCRT MARR. Advanced Reflexology Therapist, Mind-Body Hormone and Migraine Support, and Zone Face Lift Practitioner. The Willow Therapies Studio is located in South Headingley, 5 minutes from the West Winnipeg perimeter. Information on virtual services can be found at www.online.willowtherapies.ca