Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the journey to menopause

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Problems with vaginal dryness and intercourse are another common complaint in perimenopausal women. A drop in hormone levels (predominantly testosterone) is responsible for a reduced or absent sex drive - also called libido. Changes in skin and hair So if you found this episode helpful then you’re going to love Perimenopause Power because there’s a lot of helpful information and strategies in there to really equip you for your perimenopause and post menopause whether you’re already in it or just wanting to be prepared. Writing this book, I have to say has been such a gift to me personally because it’s allowed me to make decisions ahead of time and to start implementing things now so that I’m really just preparing to have a positive experience of perimenopause. And that’s what I want for you too. Maisie Hill helps you understand the changes in your body and psyche during the lead-up to menopause and how to handle symptoms.' Top Santé

Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill | Waterstones

Menopause, defined as a full year with no period, hits women on average around the age of 51. But the years before that cessation – called perimenopause – can be more emotionally and physically fraught than we anticipate. We change a lot during these years. And, as we may remember from puberty, transitions can be awkward. Our bodies and our moods frequently betray us, but one of the worst parts of perimenopause and menopause is that no one talks about them.Lubricants (lube) will make sex less uncomfortable if you feel dry in the vaginal area. However, this area often requires oestrogen therapy, which is given as vaginal oestrogen treatment - cream or pessaries. Oestrogen cream (as GINA®) can now also be bought from the pharmacy. Consider medication if needed

Maisie Hill

But really I just love that this is finally a time when our actual experience of our hormones and our cycles is what matters because it’s about time that we were listened to. So it’s false to think that you need blood tests to determine if you’re perimenopausal or not. I have been socialised to be good and polite; rewarded for being compliant and kind; trained to desire praise for being a good girl. And I am utterly ill-equipped to express the rage that I feel. It scares me and I fear what happens next I am stepping out of the parameters of my being and inhabiting that anger. I am on fire....I am embracing my peculiarities, moving from self-improvement to self-love. I am standing in the mirror and appreciating everything I bring to the world. I am stepping into my power and owning it like I never have. I am finding my Perimenopause Power." I saw her recently,” Dr Pinkerton continued, “and she said her marriage could not be better. She recognised that the perimenopausal hormonal fluctuations were making the problems seem incapable of being solved. I guess what I would just say is if you’re in perimenopause, recognise that hormonal fluctuations may make the problems at work or at home seem larger.” The blood test often used measures the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). It is advisable to do 2 tests at least 4-6 weeks apart. This test is unreliable if a woman is using combined hormonal contraception at that time. If the level is over 30 IU/L, it is in the menopausal range.When you have a normal period, the levels of oestrogen and progesterone hormones rise and fall in a regular pattern throughout the menstrual cycle. But during perimenopause, hormone levels are all over the place. The hormones don’t just stop, so neither do your periods. As a result, there may be irregular bleeding or spotting. Perimenopause is when you have symptoms of menopause but your periods have not stopped. Perimenopause ends and you reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.

Menopause - NHS

Perimenopause Power is here to change finally, this is a book for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause who want to understand what's going on with their bodies and how to deal with troublesome symptoms, but also gain valuable insights into making menopause a positive and powerful experience--yes, it's possible! The menopause gave me my voice’: designer and campaigner Karen Arthur. Photograph: Claire Pepper/That's Not My Age implying it’s not enough to do some resistance training, CrossFit specifically is where it’s at (Member of a CrossFit box by any chance Maisie?) Many women also notice they have trouble concentrating during the perimenopause. This is often called 'brain fog' by those that experience it. Joint pain Many women find they wake up several times each night drenched with sweat and need to change their bed clothes and bed linen. This is known as night sweats. Mood changesThe book is full of useful information, and while the thought of menopause might fill you with dread, knowledge really is power. Many of the symptoms experienced during perimenopause are a result of decreasing hormone levels. A lower level of oestrogen is the main change, but progesterone and testosterone also play a part. Irregular periods Gynaecologists I spoke to said they weren’t surprised that women were casting around for exotic fixes to their perimenopausal woes. Jacqueline Thielen, who works at the Women’s Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said she sees many women in their 40s and 50s who tell her they’re scared of hormone therapy, but made miserable by symptoms and being swamped with responsibilities. There are lots of reasons why mental health can suffer in midlife. Some of it will be to do with changing hormone levels and the resulting influence on other chemicals in the brain. These are the physiological reasons that can impact on things like mood, anxiety, motivation, your ability to focus and things like memory recall and cognition. So it can be a time where there is less resilience because of the hormonal changes that are taking place. But this is also a phase in life in which we are usually stretched and the past year will have done so even more I suspect for many of you. You know,” said JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of the North American Menopause Society (Nams), “we tell people who are grieving not to make major changes for a year. I don’t think anybody’s ever said: ‘Don’t make a major decision when you’re perimenopausal.’”

Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the jo…

What I liked most was the supportive tone, the confirmation that women aren't going mad at this point in their lives, that it's okay to see the doctor, and it's okay to push for something better than 'you might need anti-depressants' as an answer. Low doses of an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant can combat hot flashes, as can gabapentin (Neurontin). For heavy or irregular periods, Dr Minkin says you can take a birth control pill or get a progesterone IUD called Mirena. When it comes to herbs and supplements like evening primrose oil or bee pollen, there’s no proven benefit, though some women say that those things make them feel better.If you are in the horrors with menstrual cycle issues or you want to learn how to harness your hormones then you are in the right place. Perception matters too, as in the case of testosterone, which is made in your ovaries and adrenal glands; it is not a male hormone. ‘Production decreases after menopause,’ she writes, and low levels can cause ‘mood swings, belly fat, low energy, brain fog, low sexual desire, low muscle mass and bone loss’. But in this country, testosterone is not licensed to help women’s sexual desire, mood or concentration, and so has to be prescribed ‘off-label’ (so your GP may be nervous of prescribing it). Some of you will have elderly parents, perhaps you’re part of organisations and things going on in your community. And I say all of this because it’s a good idea to actually stop and recognise all the different things that we are doing because often we arrive at this stage of life realising how much we do for others and how often put ourselves last. And of course some of these roles we love and value and we wouldn’t change them. But I’m going to guess that there are aspects of your life that you’re not happy with for one reason or another. Number seven, there’s no benefit to the menopause transition. What do you think, true or false? This is an important one and especially after everything I’ve mentioned so far it can sound like this is all going to be pretty shit, there’s going to be no positives to this. And for sure this one is very much down to opinion. But for me this is false. Do bear in mind that I’m on this side of it, not the other side of it. Given the history of medicine in relation to women, and how underserved women still are by the medical community, it is no surprise that data and research on perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause is limited.