The Peri-menopause Phase ... Useful Info ...

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The Perimenopause Phase

The symptoms of menopause are tied up with fluctuating hormone levels. Symptoms are worse during perimenopause than in menopause itself because this is when the levels fluctuate the most. Sometimes levels rise to normal levels other times they come crashing down. When you reach menopause your hormone levels are consistently low so they don't trigger symptoms in the same way, although some symptoms (often different ones) can still occur. In perimenopause the most obvious effects come from fluctuating levels of estrogen. Here's how it works: 

1. Your ovaries produce less estrogen (specifically estradiol, one of the three types of estrogen). As a result less estrogen reaches your brain.

2. Less estrogen in the brain causes a decrease in endorphin levels. Endorphins are the so called happy hormones that keep our moods regular and act as natural painkillers which make us less sensitive to pain.

3. The brain panics because there are lower levels of endorphins hanging around so it thinks something is wrong. It reacts by sending out bursts of adrenaline to kick-start your system. Specifically it sends outnorepinephrine (the hormone that triggers fight-or-flight, see dangers of stress for a more detailed explanation). 

4. The burst of norepinephrine raises our heart rate (causing palpitations) so that we are ready for action. It raises blood pressure, causing our blood vessels to dilate, leading to hot flashes and sweating. If you're sleeping you may suddenly wake up, or you might get a bout of diarrhea or flutters in your stomach.

Common Perimenopause Symptoms

Irregular Periods

Hormone fluctuations interrupt the ovulation cycle, some months you release an egg from your ovary, some you don't (hence declining fertility, see what age does fertility decline?). If you don't ovulate you don't produce enough progesterone to have a period. This results in irregular periods.

Headaches

Women already prone to bad headaches or migraines in the days before or after their periods may suffer more headaches during perimenopause. This is because you are likely to be particularly sensitive to low levels of estrogen. Women who experience their first migraine during perimenopause however usually find they disappear again after menopause.

Mood Swings

Mood swings are common feature in most women's lives. Mood can fluctuate around period-time, and during or after pregnancy - so it's hardly any surprise that mood swings feature again in our perimenopausal years. Although scientists don't completely understand why - it appears that low levels of estrogen (common to all these occasions) is linked to lower serotonin levels. Serotonin is another one of those 'happy' hormones related to moods. Low levels make us irritable, prone to feeling pain and less able to sleep soundly. Other related articles, see menopause and depression as well as the effects of depression. 

Memory Failure

You may find you lose your train of thought half way through a sentence or you go to the store and forget what it is you went for. Memory problems are very common in perimenopausal women, this is because estrogen is necessary for facilitating communication in brain cell neurons. Fortunately as estrogen levels stabilize postmenopause, memory returns to normal.

Skin Changes

One day you look down at your hands and notice that the texture has changed. Suddenly you notice your skin is dryer, you may also have noticed a few extra crow lines around your eyes and patches of dry scalp on your head. Whether this is a natural part of the ageing process or if declining levels of estrogen speed up the process is still open to debate. See, menopause skin changes.

More Hair And Less Hair

Hormone imbalances can be responsible for hairs that start to appear on the chin or on the backs of your fingers. It can also cause loss of hair or thinning hair on your head. Although both estrogen and androgen levels are declining, the rate of estrogen loss is faster, meaning the androgen suddenly has more prominence. One side effect of this is hair loss. Read about menopause hair loss.

Fibroids

Nearly one third of women have fibroids by the time they are 50. Fibroids tend to get bigger as you approach menopause but don’t usually change or grow afterwards. Fibroids only require treatment if they become symptomatic - see symptoms of fibroids. Women with endometriosis may also find that it flares up in the years approaching menopause but then subsides and even disappears afterwards.

Breast Soreness

Breast soreness is a common feature of menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding and perimenopause. It is a symptom of hormone fluctuations. However, always consult a doctor if there is any nipple discharge or lumps (symptoms of breast cancer). Also, read how to carry out a breast self-examination, which is particularly important as we get older.

 

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  • Posted

    Oh Happy Days!!!!!! Really!!! I thought we were suppose to be enjoying our lives nowsmile 

    Hugs Jayneejay smilesmilewink

  • Posted

    Part 2 ..

    Who Is Most Likely To Have A Hard Time Of Menopause?

    The simple answer is, doctors don’t know. Just because your mother or sister suffered badly, doesn’t mean you necessarily will.

    What we do know is that your attitude to the change of life can have a significant impact on your experience.

    Studies show that educated women are more likely to view the menopausal transition with a positive attitude and appear to have an easier time as a result.

    Additionally, women who exercise regularly and have a healthy body weight are less likely to suffer hot flushes, depression and joint pain compared to obese women.

    Also, higher cholesterol levels are associated with more sweating, depression and skin dryness.

    Ultimately however, the only way to find out how you will react to menopause, is to experience it.

    In the meantime, take a look at our list of books on menopause, it contains some useful guides.

    Who Is Likely To Start Menopause Early?

    Genetics: Women tend to experience perimenopause around the same time as their mother or sisters, so look to your family history as an indication of what to expect. 

    Smoking: Studies show that menopause occurs 2 years earlier in women who smoke compared to those who do not. 

    Giving Birth: A woman who has never given birth may be more likely to start menopause earlier.

    Hysterectomy: A hysterectomy which removes the uterus but not the ovaries does not normally induce menopause earlier (as estrogen is still produced). Where the ovaries are removed, premature menopause is induced. 

    How Long Will It Take For Me To Feel Normal Again?

    From start (when you first notice obvious menopause symptoms) to finish (when you don’t notice them anymore) the process can take anywhere between 1 and 15 years.

    But before you have a heart attack - statistically research shows that it usually lasts on average 4 years.

    Typically symptoms tend to peak one year after the woman's last menstrual period but continue for up to 4 years in 50 percent of women. But who knows - you may be one of the lucky ones that sails through with only the odd hot flash to contend with. 

    • Posted

      cont.... Terminology

      Menopause:

      Menopause technically means the end of menstrual periods. During the years leading up to menopause (called perimenopause) your periods become erratic until finally they stop coming. When you have not had a period for 12 months you are officially menopausal. The average age a woman hits menopause in the United States is 51. If you reach menopause before the age of 45 it is considered 'early' and before the age of 40 it is considered premature menopause.

      Perimenopause:

      Perimenopause refers to the years leading up to menopause when you still have periods but estrogen production is slowing down. A lot of the symptoms associated with menopause like hot flashes and depression actually take place in the perimenopausal years. Any woman over the age of 35 is a candidate for perimenopause although typically it kicks in around the age of 45. 

      Postmenopause:

      Technically when you have your last period you immediately enter postmenopause - this phase lasts for the rest of your life. In postmenopause, hormone production levels off at a lower level and the worst of the menopause symptoms subside (although new ones like vaginal dryness may start). The term postmenopause has not really caught on, and so when most people refer to menopausal women - they are referring to women whose periods have stopped, be they 55 or 85. 

    • Posted

      7 Dwarfs of Menopause 😃

      Itchy

      Bitchy

      Sweaty

      Sleepy

      Bloated

      Forgetful

      All Dried Up 

      Jay xx

    • Posted

      and let's not forget their seven cousins:

      shaky

      weepy

      anxious

      achy

      dizzy

      hungry

      can't-concentrate-worth-a-darn

      😊

  • Posted

    you must have read my mind....this is exactly what i needed today. my symptoms have been through the roof this week and i have been struggling to accept that it's hormone-related. so exhausting! anyway, thanks for posting....i feel a bit less crazy now!
    • Posted

      Hi weary 

      bless you hun..

      hormones lack of or erractic ones are a pain in the butt ..

      hang in there hun

      jay xx

       

    • Posted

      I'm doing my best, Jay....one day at a time, right? As Winston Churchill said "if you're going through hell, keep going". Of course, he didn't have to deal with menopause, but it's good advice anyway!

      I have an appointment with my ob/gyn next week to check my hormone levels (again)...she strongly suspects that I'm out of balance (!) and that we may be able to address with HRT (not always a popular alternative here, I know, but if it makes it so that I can get through the days, I'm willing to try....I've done just about everything else!).

    • Posted

      Hi Weary 

      if it helps and your happy hun.. Its your choice .. Only you know what you need..and how you feel ..

      think about patches too .. They dont go through liver .. Like a pill..

      and remember Premarin, Prempak, & Premique .. Is equine 

      made from Pregnant Mares Urine.. not good.. 

      but there are good ones .. alot like the patches on here .. 😃

      i have the Esriol Cream thats enough for me and my bits 😃

      Good luck sweetie

      jayx 

       

    • Posted

      How are you today Jayneejay ? You put a lot of good information onsmile I was kinda having a bluh day again but I made myself go mowsmile exercise right? It's going to be raining for a few days and finally cooler. Hope all is wellsmile

      Beth

    • Posted

      Hi Beth

      i am good thank you ..

      had a couple flushes but it is 28 degrees ☺️ And i am up and down like a fiddlers elbow today, always on the move inbetween my posts 😀

      other than that i am fine 

      jay xx

    • Posted

      Churchill did suffer severe bouts of depression though. The moods that descended on him he used to call 'Black Dog' ones and he took up painting to combate them.
    • Posted

      Hi Taz 

      i like this quote of Churchills the best 😃

      “I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”

      hahahahaha

      jay xx 

    • Posted

      thanks, jay....at this point i'd seriously consider selling my first-born if it would mean feeling better (not really, but you know what i mean!)....i'll definitely keep the patches in mind
    • Posted

      Hi Weary 

      hahahahaha 😃

      my first born is now 29 years old ...  ' blimey when i see it in writing where has time gone ' 

      good luck 

      jay xx

    • Posted

      Same woman said to him 'If you were my husband I'd put poison in your coffee; to which he replied, ' Madam if I were your husband I'd drink it'. smile
    • Posted

      Those two were always having a ding-dong and he had a right ascerbic tongue on him, means he left some gems

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