What Are Five of the Most Common Symptoms of Perimenopause? | PYHP 125

Perimenopause is the time in a woman’s life prior to entering menopause. Most people are familiar with menopause, which is when the ovaries stop producing hormones and women stop their periods. There are many options to deal with menopause (which is an entirely different podcast and blog). But perimenopause is a completely different animal compared to menopause. Perimenopause is usually between the ages of 40-50. I have seen some women enter perimenopause in their late 30s and well as in their early 50’s. But on average, perimenopause usually hits between the 40 -50. It can last for years. Which is unfortunate because the symptoms can really affect the quality of life. Many women have come to see me and tell me how their hormones are ruining their life. They have been to their general practitioners, gynecologists, PCP only to be told there is nothing wrong. These women end up feeling disregarded and frustrated because they are not finding answers or help. This is because perimenopause is not often discussed. Like I mentioned, everyone is familiar with menopause. But women in perimenopause are dismissed because many do not realize what perimenopause is. When I talk to these women and explain to them, yes it is your hormones causing your unwanted symptoms. They are stunned to find out there is a name for what they are experiencing. It’s called perimenopause. So let’s get to it! Learn about the top five most common symptoms of perimenopause. (I tried to put these in order of the most common. But honestly, these five symptoms are all equally common) Fatigue: Women in perimenopause are often repeating over and over how tired they are. They are tired of complaining about how tired they are. I’ve had many patients remark on their family members (mainly kids, because they can be so honest), tell them they are repeating over and over how tired they feel. But it is a different kind of tiredness. It’s more of a mental fatigue. I will ask my perimenopausal patients, ‘if I were to make you take a 3 mile hike with me right now, could you do it’? Which they reply, they could. How can you hike 3 miles and say you’re tired? It is because it is more of a mental fatigue. Yes, they could do the work/activity physically, but mentally they are just not into it. Loss of Libido: Speaking of just ‘not into it’. Perimenopausal women often say their libido has not only left the building, it left the stratosphere. There are no physical issues going on here like you would see in menopause. In menopause when the estrogen has dropped dramatically, that can cause vaginal dryness, vaginal atrophy and pain with intercourse. In perimenopause, the estrogen has not declined that dramatically, so the libido issue is more of a mental one. Sex is just not on the brain. Perimenopausal women will say they are not interested or even thinking about sex. A hot-human can strut across your path, and it was like you didn’t even notice them. Weight Gain: Weight gain is a common complaint of both perimenopause and menopause. Women in their 40’s will often comment that it felt like they gained 15 pounds overnight. And the sad fact is that this weight gain was not due to any changes in their diet or lifestyle. Trouble Staying Asleep: This is a very common issue in perimenopausal women. They have no trouble falling asleep. Your head hits the pillow and you are out in minutes, seconds even. But 3-4 hours later, you are up like it’s morning. And it can take hours to fall back to sleep. And of course by the time you do fall back to sleep, you need to wake up shortly. By morning, you are so tired. Period changes: As mentioned earlier, in perimenopause the estrogen has not dropped that much (as you see in menopause). But the progesterone has dived in perimenopause. This can cause period changes. It can cause days and days of s...