From PMS to Perimenopause: How to Work With Your Cycle, with Dr Kelly Dixon

In this insightful episode of Women of a Certain Stage, host Lauren Chiren reconnects with Dr Kelly Dixon, Associate Professor in Global Health and Wellbeing at UCL and integrative psychotherapist in private practice. Kelly shares her personal journey of discovering the profound impact of cycle awareness—beginning with a pivotal moment at age 24 when a friend noticed her monthly pattern of overwhelm.With 20 years at UCL conducting systematic reviews and teaching intersectionality, Kelly brings both academic rigor and lived experience to understanding how menstrual cycles shape our emotional landscapes. She reveals how tracking her cycle transformed her understanding of herself, her work as a therapist, and her approach to perimenopause—where many symptoms mirror an extended luteal phase.This conversation offers a compassionate, evidence-based perspective on working with your body rather than against it, from the monthly cycles of reproductive years through the transition to menopause.Key Timestamps[00:01:00] Recording the UCL Disrupted Voices podcast on menopause [00:02:00] Grand challenges at UCL: seed funding for menopause research [00:03:00] Bio-psychosocial approach: three essential strands of menopause care [00:04:00] The power of storytelling and lived experiences in research [00:05:00] Balancing university work and private practice: the weekly split [00:06:00] 20 years at UCL: from education to reproductive health research [00:07:00] The moment cycle awareness clicked into focus [00:08:00] Age 24: "I felt really small and the world was really big" [00:09:00] The friend who noticed: "Is your period due soon?" [00:10:00] Discovering it's not just the week before—it's the whole month [00:11:00] Building compassion-focused responses to cycle changes [00:12:00] From paper diaries to iPeriod: 23-33 day cycle variation [00:13:00] Why she switched apps after US abortion law changes [00:14:00] B vitamins, alcohol, and managing PMS symptoms [00:15:00] The pattern: going full blast, then hitting the crash [00:16:00] How cycle awareness changed her work as a therapist [00:17:00] Recognizing when both therapist and client are in luteal phase [00:18:00] Person-centered approach: only working with client cycles when they bring it in [00:19:00] "It's not just PMS—maybe you're feeling it more" [00:20:00] The clarity and boundary-setting that comes with luteal energy [00:21:00] Perimenopause as an extended luteal phase [00:22:00] Brain fog, irritation, and existential questions in perimenopause [00:23:00] Why alcohol becomes less our friend during menopause [00:24:00] What lights Kelly up: Betsy and Winnie the Cockapoos [00:25:00] Borrow My Doggy: "doggy Tinder" [00:26:00] Future research: PMDD and premenstrual syndrome systematic reviews [00:27:00] Contraception decision-making research: currently under wraps [00:28:00] Taking a life course approach to hormonal decisions [00:29:00] Three top tips for GP appointments [00:30:00] Having someone to talk to before and after appointments [00:31:00] Being open to other possibilities: thyroid, vitamin D [00:32:00] Using NICE guidelines language with your doctor [00:33:00] AI for summarizing medical guidelines [00:34:00] Ethical uses of AI in menopause care [00:35:00] How to connect with Kelly's workKey TakeawaysThe friend who noticed first: Pattern recognition often comes from others observing us monthlyCycle tracking evolution: From paper diaries in 2001 to privacy-conscious apps post-2022Highly variable cycles are normal: 23-33 day variation requires body-based tracking, not just numbersLuteal phase mirror: Perimenopause symptoms overlap significantly with PMS experiences"I felt really small": How PMS manifests as overwhelm and decision fatigueThe whole month matters: Energy shifts throughout all phases, not just premenstruallyTherapist awareness: Recognizing your own cycle helps maintain grounding with clientsIt's not "just" hormones: Feelings are real even when heightened by cycle phaseLuteal clarity: Irritation and "I've had enough" energy reveals important boundariesCompassion over hacking: Building self-compassion rather than optimizing productivityB6, B12, and alcohol: Nutritional support becomes more important during luteal phaseGrounding is essential: High energy phases need intentional grounding practicesData privacy matters: Consider which apps sell your cycle dataSelf-care lessons transfer: What works for PMS often helps in perimenopauseNICE guidelines language: Speaking the doctor's language improves appointmentsAI can summarize guidelines: Use it to make medical documents more accessibleHave your person: Don't go to appointments without someone to debrief with afterwardDr Kelly Dixon's Powerful Insights"I felt like a really small person and the world was really big and I couldn't go.""It was really from having difficult PMS that I used to work with my cycle... to build a bit more compassion.""I started to realize—this is the whole month. It's not just that week.""Maybe you're feeling it more, it's coming more to the surface now. But it's not saying that those feelings don't exist. Maybe they're more heightened.""That swear word energy—it's like often the boundary comes in that irritation.""If you look at the psychological side of perimenopause, there's a lot of crossover with that luteal phase, with that PMS phase.""I need to ground myself more when that energy's higher.""Know your body and what you are communicating and stick to that. I know myself, I know my body, I know what's happening.""You're gonna have to have confidence and know your body... don't go in thinking you're gonna have to have a battle.""Be open to the possibility that there's something else—maybe my thyroid is an issue or maybe my vitamin D is low."Take Action!Connect with Dr Kelly Dixon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kelly-dickson-135a316/Private practice: https://www.kellydickson.net/Simply Google: Dr Kelly DixonStart Cycle Tracking:Choose a privacy-conscious app (Kelly uses Stardust)Track body-based signals, not just numbersNotice patterns in energy, mood, hunger, and decision-makingBuild compassion-focused responses to your cyclePreparing for GP Appointments:Write down your key points - symptoms, questions, concernsReview NICE guidelines (or your country's menopause society guidelines)Use medical language - speak the way doctors are trained to thinkHave your person - someone to talk to before and afterBe open - consider thyroid, vitamin D, other possibilitiesStay confident - know your body and communicate clearlyUse AI Wisely:Ask AI to summarize NICE guidelines in plain languageUse it for specific questions about medical documentsAlways double-check outputs (AI can hallucinate)Consider ethical implications of health dataFor Those in Perimenopause:Recognize the luteal phase overlap in symptomsApply PMS self-care strategies more broadlyNotice the clarity and boundaries that emerge in irritationRemember: feelings are real even when hormonally heightenedTransform Your Career in Women's Health:Visit https://www.womenofacertainstage.com/ to enroll in the CPD Certified Menopause Coach DiplomaLearn to work with cycles, not against themBook workplace strategy workshops & keynote talksDownload menopause toolkitsBuild your Menopause Champion networkSchedule your free strategy call at https://bookme.name/womenofacertainstage/podResearch to Watch: Kelly's upcoming work on women's experiences with contraception decision-making and systematic reviews on PMDD—watch this space!