Power through Perimenopause
October 18th is World Menopause Day and October is the World Menopause Month. What a fabulous time to raise awareness and highlight the amazing resources out there for women to access and educate themselves with.
My favourite part of my job is empowering women with the knowledge of what is going on inside their bodies during this transitional phase, so that they can feel confident in making health and lifestyle decisions. I love it. Nothing brings me more joy than women walking out of my clinic feeling more confident, having simplified their approach to nutrition and with a clear plan.
Whilst there are so many factors and symptoms which can arise during this time, the two most prominent factors I typically see in clinic are: weight gain and mood symptoms.
And there are some strong biological reasons for these common experiences.
So if you're a woman over 40 or approaching 40 then there's one thing you need to know before doing anything else about weight gain or mood symptoms...
...empower yourself with the knowledge of what's happening to your body during perimenopause.
If you're interested in learning more, I invite you to enjoy this month’s issue of our newsletter. I also invite you to reach out here for a more personalised approach to your health with a complimentary 15 minute nutrition discovery call.
Before you read on though, how about understanding whether you're in perimenopause? There's no single test that can be done to assess your status, though you can refer to these signs and symptoms:
New-onset of heavy and/or longer menstrual flow
Shorter menstrual cycles (<26 days)
New sore, swollen or lumpy breasts for the last two weeks of your cycle
New mid sleep waking
Increased menstrual cramps
Night sweats, mostly premenstrual
New or markedly increased migraine headaches
New or increased premenstrual mood swings
Weight gain without changes in exercise or eating
If you’re 35+ years of age and believe that three of more of the above symptoms apply to you, then there's a good chance your symptoms are associated with early perimenopausal hormone shifts.
Understanding this will save you:
Time
Money
Angst
Unnecessary pharmaceutical intervention
AND, if weight gain is a symptom, then it helps us to tailor your weight loss protocol accordingly.
Please also know that while a single blood test can't diagnose early perimenopause, there are still numerous tests I would run for women in this stage of life.
Testing is incredibly important and helps to:
Rule out other possible causes of symptoms
Create a tailored strategy to reducing symptoms, including weight
Understand risk of future disease and therefore further tailor the treatment strategy to enhance longevity
If you would like to learn more about anything you have read here today or for a more personalised approach to your nutrition please reach out here. I look forward to connecting with you soon!
