Peri-What?
I don’t know about you, but I never heard about this term until about 6 months ago.
Yes, menopause is the real deal, and every women knows this is a big part of our cycle of life.
But starting to see and feel the symptoms of this glooming phase of life in my 40’s never crossed my mind. My grandmother taught me a lot of things, this lesson I obviously missed.
Every body told me life starts at 40, nobody warned me that the first symptoms of peri-
menopause will also start hitting me round about then. And actually, thinking back now, I saw the first signs around the age of 36.
Well, as with ADHD, I was self-diagnosed after being treated for constipation, anxiety, sleepless nights and excruciating joint pain with no relief whatsoever.
And of course my ADHD symptoms were 10x worse. Severe brain fog, scattered mind,
forgetfulness and mood swings.
Being treated for the symptoms and not really feeling any relief, I started doing research, and
discovered that what I was experiencing is quite normal for women my age, and it’s called peri-menopause.
So what is peri-menopause and how do you know if you are currently experiencing it?
As we age a woman’s oestrogen levels slowly starts to decline.
Around our mid-30’s, early 40’s, your body actually notices and starts to respond to these
fluctuations and you start seeing and feeling the symptoms.
It certainly helps to know what symptoms to be on the lookout for.
With shock and horror I discovered that this phase can last up to anything from 7-10 years.
Looking back, I think I started experiencing the onset of the first symptoms 6 years ago.
Sleepless nights became the new normal, followed by bouts of severe anxiety, memory loss and brain fog. Of course I thought this was just normal. Almost everybody experiences these
symptoms at some stage of their life.
I didn’t use any oral contraceptive at the time, so naturally my body will start to respond to the decline, and I will definitely start experiencing the consequences. Little did I know.
Then I was diagnosed with ADHD at 40, so all of the above made more sense, right?
I was completely awestruck to learn, that any mental disorders are worsened when going through peri-menopause. Oestrogen significantly effects your prefrontal cortex and thus plays a crucial role in cognitive function.
What followed about 6 months ago, is still difficult for me to put in words - it was truly the most uncomfortable phase I have ever experienced in my entire life.
Not did I only lose control over my body, I started losing control over my mind.
If you are between the ages for 35-45 and currently feeling like an alien has taken over your body and mind, you are probably going through the first symptoms of peri-menopause.
Some of the most noticeable symptoms I experienced were:
Severe constipation - and this is difficult for me to to say knowing my diet is 100% clean and healthy, and live a very active lifestyle.
Excruciating joint pain - especially in my wrists
Extremely tender breasts - putting cream on my body was painful
Very low concentration and attention span, memory loss, brain fog and extreme fluctuations in mood.
Hot flushes and difficulty falling and staying asleep
And with for someone who has never experienced belly fat before - I now started seeing a layer of fat appearing around my abdomen
This was obviously a major setback, I am the healthiest person I know, how could this be happening to me!
Naturally I couldn’t just accept this as normal, so I embarked on a journey to find out more!
With new found knowledge I hope to help and support other women going through this daunting experience. And even those that might be approaching this phase. If you know what is happening in your body, you know how to better manage it.
And the good news is you can manage and alleviate the symptoms
So I have decided to dedicate the rest of this month to provide more information on how to
THRIVE through this peri-menopause phase.
7-10 years is quite a long time to be struggling, so better be ready with the right knowledge and lifestyle hacks to make these your best years!
