Perimenopause Hormone Imbalances & Their Effects
Did you know that menopause really only lasts one day. Menopause is the one day that follows twelve consecutive months of the absence of menstrual periods. That single day is the turning point for women who are perimenopausal to post-menopausal. So when a woman says she is “menopausal”, she is really referring to perimenopause, the period in which her body is going through the changes that will lead her to menopause.
The leading cause of perimenopause symptoms among women (and many times, the only cause) is the perimenopause hormone imbalance that goes on inside women's bodies. The fluctuations of different hormones, a result of the imbalance of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, can trigger different reactions in women's bodies. These varying reactions are what are known as the symptoms of perimenopause, some of them more common that the others.
Specifically, what are the hormone imbalances?
A woman who has not entered perimenopause will have her sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone) at the levels that are needed for child bearing, meaning she will menstruate regularly. These hormones also affect mood hormones, sleep hormones, love hormones (more on this later), and metabolism because all of these factors can play a role in a woman's reproductive or child-bearing activities.
During perimenopause, hormone levels can either be too low or too high. Many women experience perimenopause hormone imbalances with an abundance of estrogen yet normal levels of progesterone. Other women have low levels of progesterone yet normal levels of estrogen. Others still have low estrogen and high progesterone, or both hormones including the hormone testosterone are too low.
Every case of perimenopause is different. Each woman will have a different hormone imbalance. Though some women tend to follow trends in terms of which hormone is low or high, it is important to understand that each woman's perimenopause hormone imbalance is different because different factors are involved every time. This is why women should consult their doctors as soon as they see or experience symptoms of perimenopause. They need to understand what they are dealing with.
Note: Just because a woman's current perimenopause hormone imbalance indicates a certain state (ex. low estrogen and high progesterone) doesn't mean this cannot change during perimenopause. In fact, it is likely to change!
What do these hormone imbalances do?
Depending on your specific perimenopause hormone imbalance, you will notice different symptoms. For example, lower estrogen levels have been linked to weight gain. This is because the simple carbohydrates most women eat are no longer being successfully metabolized as a result of estrogen's effect or influence on the body's metabolism. Other fluctuations of estrogen or progesterone can cause depression, crashing fatigue, bleeding, nausea, palpitations, and the many other symptoms of perimenopause.
One interesting symptom or trend that has been noticed is that some perimenopausal women with low estrogen levels no longer want to stay married. This has been attributed to the fact that estrogen can influence the love hormone, oxytocin, which is in charge of giving people (men included) that feeling of belonging, of love, family, and happiness in being together. As estrogen decreases, oxytocin changes as well, making some women focus more on what they want and what is good for them, something that was usually clouded by oxytocin because being in a relationship would mean more chances for human reproduction.
Is there anything women can do about perimenopause hormone imbalances?
Since each woman's perimenopause is unique, different methods of coping with symptoms will work for different women. This is why some pharmaceutical treatments work on some and not on others, and also why natural medicine treatments can alleviate some symptoms and not others.
The one treatment that seems to offer relief for most symptoms across the board, however, is a change in lifestyle. Eating healthier food in the right amounts, exercising regularly, and finding ways to get enough rest each day can do wonders for perimenopause hormone imbalances. Most doctors attribute this to the fact that when a body is getting what it needs for optimal health and nutrition, then hormone imbalances are not as severe because the body will be able to handle the problem naturally.
Other than seeing a doctor and changing their lifestyle, perimenopausal women can try the many different techniques for coping with symptoms. Perimenopause hormone imbalances have been around for a while, and so there is a lot of advice out there for a woman who doesn't know what to do or how to deal with this delicate time in their lives.
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Learning more about perimenopause is essential to conquering it. Join our FREE mini course and get the answers you are looking for. Find out:
- What Perimenopause is and how it affects your body's functioning
- How to tell when Perimenopause begins and when it will end
- What symptoms to expect when you are Perimenopausal
- How to treat Perimenopause symptoms (including low sex drive) using medicine and natural remedies found in your home
- How to make adjustments on your diet and identify the lifestyle changes that will help you overcome Perimenopause symptoms
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