Perimenopause: How To Transition Easier

Stages of Womanhood

First, I recommend finding out, where possible, what symptoms your parents, siblings, and relatives had at similar ages. What did they do to work through it? Did it help? What are your symptoms? Mood Swings, Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, Unexplained Anger, Difficulty Healing Joints, Apathy, Sadness, Difficulty Focusing, Depression, Fatigue? Are they cyclical? Track them each month with an app on your smartphone to see if they occur around ovulation, same time each month, etc or are they constant?

Second, clean up your diet and reduce the amounts of wheat, dairy, gluten and sugar. Add in lots of water, eat more fresh fish (not farmed), take whole food multivitamins, Omega-3 Oils, 5000IU Raw D3, Antioxidents, and possibly some supplements related to Women’s hormones/PMS such as Evening Primrose Oil, Black Cohash Extract, PhytoEstrogens, Maca, Dong Quai, Vitex, etc. or Men’s hormones such as Tribulus Terrestris Extract, Horny Goat Weed, LongJax, Saw Palmetto, and Maca. Consider juice fasting, colonics, and other whole body cleanses to help clean the filters of your body.

Third, reduce stress where possible, and consider some form of exercise AND meditation. Even 10 minutes per day of each lowers stress levels, increases HGH, reduces cortisol, etc. Add weight lifting and yoga in addition to cardio as part of your weekly exercise to help keep bone mass at optimal levels.

Fourth, ATTITUDE! Do you see this as an exciting adventure….time for you….to do the things you’ve always wanted to do and learn, or is this the end of your vigor, virility, manhood, femininity, womanhood, etc? Are you going kicking and screaming or accepting the transition with grace and presence? While I don’t suggest buying a rocking chair just yet, and I have to say, I’m in better shape these last 10 years than ever before, I compete with myself now, make sure I workout with proper form, and make adjustments to movements where needed for joint impact, etc. Make sure to keep a positive attitude as much as possible, turn off the news, put on some music that soothes versus stimulates, and ask yourself what you want to do this week to HAVE FUN!! It doesn’t have to cost a lot….play golf, hike a new trail, meet a friend for coffee/lunch, take a weekend trip, have a massage, etc. Enjoy the journey!!

Fifth, have your Estrogen and FREE Testosterone levels checked by a REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGIST and not just an OB/GYN or Primary Care Physician unless they specialize in Endocrinology. This is just my opinion, and based on my path and learning, but as an example, I found out that there is a difference between Testosterone and FREE Testosterone. FREE Testosterone is what is USABLE by the body, and your Overall Testosterone levels may look okay. This can show up as fatigue, difficulty healing joints, straining muscles easier, etc. Look into BioIdentical Hormone Replacement Therapy and Natural Approaches and Alternatives once you know where you stand. Also, have your D3 levels and Saliva Cortisol levels checked.

Lastly, BOTH men and women’s hormone levels start to fluctuate at these ages, and understanding why you may be feeling differently than you used to, what you can do about it, and having compassion with ourselves and our partners as we transition through this period will help ease the journey and make it one to remember with peace and joy rather than fireworks and battle scars. Namaste!