All About Perimenopause: Signs, Symptoms & Treatment | Empowering Midlife Wellness

I’ve been talking a lot lately about menopause, but the years immediately before menopause are probably the most difficult ones to manage for both patient and provider, since they are characterized by highly fluctuating hormone levels, and frequently associated with lots of nasty side effects. Today I’ll be focusing on those years before menopause that we call “peri-menopause” - when we are still producing ovarian hormones, but in levels that are fluctuating and unpredictable, and sometimes make us feel like we are on a roller coaster of highs and lows that feel impossible to control.

The good news is that once you understand what’s happening, we can create a treatment plan with effective options to alleviate these symptoms and put life back into balance, getting you through those really difficult years.

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[Wendy-tv]

I’m 52 and been having menopause symptoms for the last couple of years. I’m sharing this information in hopes that it can help other women not to have to suffer anymore. Not sleeping, hot flashes, anxiety, dread, guilty feelings, sense of fear driving, brain fog, tired, chronic joint pain loss of drive in life, feeling like barely making it through the day, anger for no big reason. Started progesterone first did help with sleep, only helped a little with hot flashes, added vitamin E which helped with hot flashes and my chronic hip/low back pain. Added testosterone cream, helped with my brain fog and gave me some energy and helped with sleep and helped me feel confident in driving again. Then added estrogen cream and it stopped the anxiety, guilt and dread feelings. My estrogen levels didn’t improve and my testosterone levels didn’t increase above 19. I switched to the estrogen patch and started testosterone injections .03 twice
a week and what Huge improvement!!! I have a zest for life again, more energy and I feel I can take on the world again!!! I sincerely hope this helps someone. Wishing every woman to feel like themselves again. We shouldn’t have to suffer!!!

[JenJenANDChrissy]

I was 45 y.o. and went to my OBGYN for mood swings that were so bizarre I thought I was going crazy. I would have days where I would be so fearful and my brain would feel like I was experiencing the worst dreadful event, yet everything in my life was perfectly stable (no financial problems, or marital issues, job was stable, physical health was fine). Then a couple of days out of the month I would feel so unsafe to leave my home for no reasonable explanation...almost agoraphobia. I've always been a go-getter and never let any fear stop me from doing anything adventurous, EVER. My OBGYN listened to me rant and she said I wasn't perimenopausal and suggested I see a psychiatrist. Seriously? I would expect this from a male doctor, but mine was female and slightly younger than I was. I fired her and found someone who treated me with compassion and understanding. She is a Nurse Practitioner and she checked my hormone levels at different times of the month. The results showed exactly what you are explaining with the fluctuation cycles. It's been 7 years and I'm really getting tired of all this rollercoaster riding. I have no idea what my mood will be when I wake up in the morning (anxious, depressed, angry, flat, energetic, fearful, rage, stoic) and I just have to deal with it. What I tell myself is "just go with the feelings, because they're not staying here forever. They will change in a few hours". I try to treat myself kindly and compassionately without shame. Nearly every day I feel like a toddler is at the wheel of my emotions, spinning the dial over and over again in evil bliss. This chapter sucks so bad. My periods are as painful as when I was 14 and muscle relaxers are my best friends on those days. I don't even want to start with the bloating rant....how the hell can I gain 9 lbs in 6 days because of fluid???

[ktbrown]

I am 48...i have been suffering since 2020 i had my very first hot flash..here are the ever growing list : hot flashes, night sweats, day sweats, body odor changes, dry skin, thining skin, hair falling out, nails brittle, grey hair, nausea, loss of appetite, food cravings, hightened smell, mood swings, depression, anxiety, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, nightmares, heavy bleeding, heavy cramps, numbness in hands, vision problems, low libido, upset stomach, brain fog, swollen joints, knee pain, joint pain, lol that is all i can remember right now..the list is growing;) ..if you have any to add and give us a heads up!!

[TheNordicHunter]

Thank you so much for all of this information. You explained it very well. I’m doing as much research as I can on this subject for my girlfriend. She doesn’t have the time and quite frankly it’s overwhelming for her, especially when she’s already in a bad place hormonally. And I want to know as much as I can so that I can know what to expect and help her, and understand what she is going through. I wish more men would look into this as well and understand what their partner is going through vs just thinking they are “crabby” or “it’s all in their head” or “they’ve gone crazy and need meds”. Women have been dealt many bad hands and this is one of them. It’s sad and more awareness has to happen. Obviously without doctors like you, we wouldn’t be able to gain this kind of information, so thank you for actively helping those less fortunate to find some inner balance and peace. I will check out more of your videos when I get a chance. Have a great day!!!

[akaMcSassy]

I'm 43 and im convinced that I've been dealing with this since 41. Started with palpitations and fatigue. Doctors blamed my weight and anxiety about this sudden changes and other health markers going south. Fixed those with nutrition and exercise but still dealing with anxiety for no reason. Cycling every 21-25 days for the past year And apparently testosterone is leaving me (per bloodwork). Feels so good to know there's a reason, I've been helping myself with diet and lifestyle changes and there's hope.

[sylviarivera]

I think I’ve watched more than 30 perimenopause videos and talked to my gyno, and this was the most thorough and informative source yet. Thank you.

[EllaGreenn]

We don't get any medals for suffering. 🙏 Thank you so much!! This is one of the most helpful and important videos I've ever seen.
I'm 43yo, 2 years ago after 15 years of mirena birth control and no periods I thought it would be a good/healthy idea to remove my IUD to have my last years/cycles of bleeding the natural way. I knew nothing about this, it was just on a whim, natural is always better, right? My obgyn just shrugged and did what I asked without any warning or explanation. I have gone through hell. An hour or so later, I started violently vomited, which continued for 3 days. I thought it was a coincidental flu. A bit later horrible panic attacks started hitting me, out of the blue I couldn't breath and my resting heart rate went through the roof, sometimes it lasted all night long. I even went to the ER once, convinced I would not survive. On top of all that came the relentless insomnia, brain fog, mood swings, forgetfulness, sweating, pain, water retention, ... Not one doctor made a link with the removed IUD (even when I told them it started right after that), perimenopause or ANY possible hormonal cause at all. I saw a video about perimenopause a few weeks ago but was still unsure what to do. I simply can not think anything through, I feel like a beheaded chicken. My gp doesn't believe a word of this silly perimenopause 'hypothesis', but some pushing he was willing to prescribe me an oral contraceptive pill (Annais). Today (my first cycle day) I'm gonna start the pill. I'm very nervous about it, since I had such severe reactions to progesterone changes. So 🤞
A new IUD (maybe with testosterone, because no libido, hair loss, ... ) would probably be better, but I can't see my obgyn until early June and I can't stand this for even one more day. I'm also afraid that I'll react heavily to the IUD, which I wouldn't be able to remove quickly if I do.
Hopefully this pill will alleviate my brain fog enough to get organized to talk to a (new) doctor in a coherent way to plan my next HRT moves carefully.
I hope this might help someone else going through hell, thinking they're dying, going crazy, experiencing early dementia, ... Although long term (very happy) mirena users probably won't have it suddenly removed if they have a doctor who cares to explain to them what the risks are. Maybe I had a worse reaction than normal, but since the HRT use of the IUD, having it removed at my aged is the worst possible move anyway.
Sorry for the rambling rant.

[suziew]

Thank you for the truth. For the past few years I have been existing NOT living. This time has need a living hell of emotion and change. Why does this not get explained? I can’t wait for this to be over. Worse than being a teenager with hormones. It has been horrific emotionally beyond words. Don’t ask me these days what is a woman? I know and experienced it all . Don’t even try… 🙃I am sad woman don’t get the respect after all we go through. I’m happy just frustrated by all this pain and suffering emotionally and physically. I promise you a man would not survive it… 🤪

[mycustompaintedlife]

I don’t have any physical symptoms but I am so sad all the time and I thought I was losing my mind. I can’t recall simple things. Yes! Shame and guilt are two emotions that I am quite familiar with. My kids look at me like a “poor thing” I literally can’t get out of bed most days.

[chubstuf]

Listening to this at 4:00 a.m. knowing that I need to be at work in 4 hours. I've already sent a message to my primary care physician. Thank you so much, I really appreciate you informing us of all of the important nuances our primary care physicians neglected to pass a long during our appointments!

[sevenone]

Im so happy to have found this. I'm finding it very hard to work honestly. I'm so up and down all the time

[mLify]

Well I guess this explains the sudden onset of PMS depression I've been experiencing over the last year or so. Daily walking helps keep it at bay, tho. It's kind of crazy to me that I know SO much about ovarian cycles because I used to work in a laboratory that studied puberty onset, but know nothing about menopause lol. I feel like women everywhere need one of those film strips like we had to watch in Middle School about "the changes, " but for middle age. "Second Puberty" 😄

[danyellowlyn]

I’m 49. Heavy periods all my life. After 2 kids tried Mirena - didn’t help. Endometrial ablation also didn’t help. Now having murder scene like periods. Made appointment to talk to ob re hysterectomy. Will make a note to inquire about uterine fibroid embrolization.

[capeviolet]

This is the best description of perimenopause I found. Thank you!

[NotACat]

Thank you so much. This is what I needed when I went to my doctor a year ago, but since I didn't get that, I stopped going. I am motivated to find a new doctor who wants to help me. Now that I have some good base knowledge of my own, I think it will be a lot easier.

[Bravelyrising]

Great video! Very thorough and helpful. I’ve been in treatment for 7 years but my body is constantly changing and needing different things. Right now I’m dealing with the drastic hormone crash that makes me cry all day!!!! I feel like I’m going crazy and I want my life back. Let me add that I would do therapies and then stop them because I got fed up with the cost and the constant blood draws. I think I’m close to the end of peri now, so I’m getting back on track before I lose my mind and my husband. Haha…. No, but really😬

[ReneeWilliams-vt]

I'm so thankfull you have done this video I could have cried when you said you feel like a different person, it's been how iv been feeling for a while now and this is the first video that has been helpfull. Thank you

[uppercut]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm only 37 but have never had kids and for the past year, my periods have just been WEIRD. My most recent one, my hormones definitely weren't what I'm used to. I will definitely be making an appointment with my gynecologist to talk about this!

[jennystyles]

This has helped tremendously from what ive listened to previously
Im 50 with murder style periods also, having lived with Endometriosis, ive never experienced anything so terrible. Waiting on Ultrasound results for fibroids, taking a low dose pill now continuously from my own research to get my health back

[mariangeles]

Thanks God I found you! What a master class about perimenopause … it’s just what I needed to know. I’m 45 years old and getting into this period and was so confused about what to do, take, treatments, how and which. I didn’t know about the DIM… seems worth trying.
You explained simply clear. I appreciate it. Greetings from Belgium.