Perimenopause

Are you feeling constantly stressed and strung out? Is the insomnia unbearable? Are you sick of not knowing what your body wants – one minute boiling like a kettle, and the next chilled to the bone? Have you suddenly, out of nowhere, started putting on weight, and you don’t know what to do?

Feeling pushed to your limits?

As a ‘forty-something’ year old woman, I know what it’s like to be stretched to your limits. Sandwiched between raising kids and caring for ageing parents, working full-time, and looking after the household. You’re running on empty, but you tell yourself – “I just need a holiday” – and keep pushing through.

Then suddenly, the body you’ve always relied upon to get you through the day – the same body that allowed you to bring your precious babies into this world – starts to turn on you.

Is this…menopause?

The day I realised that I was on the train to menopause was a slap in the face.

I’d been feeling off for a while – I was tired, run down, and to my husband’s dismay, I had zero interest in the bedroom. I was busy holding down a full-time job and running after the kids, and had recently lost my father to dementia. It wasn’t really surprising that I was exhausted.

But then I started gaining weight. Over the course of the next 18 months I steadily put on the kilos, and despite exercising more than I ever had, and eating more mindfully, the kilos kept piling on.

A visit to my GP didn’t offer much assistance. When I raised my concerns, and asked if I should get my hormones checked , she told me that it was normal at my age, and there was no need to worry.

But I did worry. This didn’t feel right.

In the absence of useful information from my GP, I started to do some research of my own.

I learned about perimenopause (I’d seriously never heard of it before), and that I could be feeling ‘not quite right’ for another 10 years before the final menopausal transition.

I learned that there are ways to deal with symptoms through lifestyle changes, and that not all roads lead to hormone therapy.

I learned that hormone therapy is not evil, and that it can be a lifeline for women who are suffering.

I learned that I knew my body better than anyone else, so I started listening to my intuition.

I learned that while I can’t stop my body from going through the natural transition to menopause, I can make choices about how I approach this critical life stage.

I’m too young for this!

Everyone’s journey through their 40’s and 50’s is completely different. Some women will breeze through with barely a chin hair, while others will battle for years with crippling hot flushes, raging moods, and adult acne.

What I do know, is that whatever your current situation, you can regain control from what seems like an uncontrollable roller coaster, and make choices that are right for you right now.

Together, we can:

• Unravel the mysteries of perimenopause and menopause, and help you find relief from symptoms such as hot flushes, anxiety and weight gain;
• Understand the importance of hormone health, and how it influences all aspects of your life, including weight and libido;
• Explore your options for relief, whether you want to investigate HRT or take a more natural route; and
• Boost your mood by making good food and lifestyle choices every day.