What Every Woman Should Know: Understanding the 9 Signs of Perimenopause (Part 1)
Miyako Hazama
Ki-energy Expert for High Performing Women 40+ | Helping Women Boost Energy for Peak Vitality with Ki Energy despite Career Demands
Are you in your late 30s or 40s, wondering if you're in perimenopause?
Maybe you are experiencing strange, weird changes, such as erratic emotions, foggy brain, pains, or subtle to extreme changes to your body, and you're not quite sure what's on earth going on... This post is going to help you.
Perimenopause is a transition period that occurs several years before a woman's last period, and it typically begins at the age of 40 to 44, although women can start experiencing changes even in their mid-thirties.
The level of estrogen, the primary female hormone, in your body rises and falls unevenly during perimenopause, leading to several physical and emotional changes.?
In this Part 1 of the two-part blog post, we'll discuss the first 5 common signs of perimenopause to help you prepare for the physical changes with more ease.
Hot Flashes and Night Sweats ??
One of the classic symptoms of perimenopause is hot flashes and night sweats.
According to the Harvard medical school publishing, an estimated 35%–50% of perimenopausal women suffer sudden waves of body heat with sweating and flushing that last 5–10 minutes, often at night and during the day.?
The intensity of hot flashes can vary from a sense of warmth to a feeling of being on fire, and it could cause flushing on the face, neck, and chest, sweating, or chills lasting 1-5 minutes.
The frequency of hot flashes varies widely, with some women having a few over a week, while others experience 10 or more in the daytime, plus some at night.
This symptom can be inconvenient, especially if it happens during an important event, such as a speech or job interview.
Sleep Disturbances ??
If you find yourself having trouble sleeping, you're not alone. Sleep problems often come together with hot flashes or night sweats during perimenopause, but sleep sometimes becomes unpredictable without them.?
According to data from the National Institutes of Health, sleep disturbance shows up in 39% to 47% of perimenopausal women.
You may have difficulty falling asleep, awaken in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back to sleep, or wake up early in the morning even though you are still tired.
Lack of sleep affects your mood and vitality and can result in systematic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
Mood Swings and Anxiety ??
Perimenopause can cause mood swings, anxiety, and feelings of disassociation, forgetfulness, or brain fog.
The emotional rollercoaster can be challenging to manage, especially when combined with external stressors such as caring for a family or facing professional and financial challenges.?
Mayo Clinic reports that mood swings, irritability, or increased risk of depression may happen during perimenopause.
The cause of these symptoms may be that hot flashes disrupt your sleep, and mood changes may also be caused by factors unrelated to perimenopause's hormonal changes.
Fatigue ??
Fatigue is another common symptom of perimenopause, with many women experiencing a lack of energy and a general feeling of tiredness. This fatigue can result from hormonal changes, sleep disturbances, or external stressors.?
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It can be challenging to manage when combined with other symptoms, and it can affect your daily life, making it difficult to complete tasks and enjoy activities you once found enjoyable.
Migraine Headaches ??
If you keep getting horrible migraines and Excedrin is your best friend, it may be a sign of perimenopause. Migraines are a common symptom of perimenopause and can be debilitating. They may be accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, sweating, chills, and fatigue.
Migraines can last for a few hours or up to three days.?
Hot flushes and night sweats disrupt sleep, triggering additional migraines. Changes in estrogen levels during perimenopause can cause hormone headaches to increase in frequency and intensity, which can be challenging for women and their families.
Stress, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and eye strain are common triggers for migraines.
Have you ever experienced all these coming together and compounding?
You also want to know that migraines usually begin with a triggering event other than hormones, such as stress (this is a big one), changes in sleep, eating patterns, or eye strains.
Many women will see these headaches stop once menopause is reached, but some women will continue to have headaches even after menopause.
Don't suffer in silence.
A Recap of the first 5 Signs of Perimenopause
Now we've covered the first 5 common signs of perimenopause that I promised you. Let's recap quickly:
Have you noticed any of these happening to you?
What other symptoms have you been struggling with?
Remember, there is no one universal menopause syndrome, and every woman is different.
Quite frankly, just these 5 symptoms seem a lot. But in fact...
some report shows that there are 34 symptoms of menopause.
So in Part 2, "9 SIGNS YOU MAY BE IN PERIMENOPAUSE", I will show you the following 4 symptoms that are particularly important for you to know.
If you're struggling with perimenopause symptoms, I can help you get relief naturally and feel better. Sign up now ?? and take the first step towards feeling like yourself again.
Learn the secrets Asian women have been using for thousands of years to avoid peri/menopause symptoms.
"5 Proven Pillars to An Amazing Life in Peri/Menopause", https://miyakolifedesign.com/freevideo22.
I created Menopause Wonder YouTube Channel #menopausewonder as a sacred space where women can share openly, knowing they are not alone.
It's time we talk about solutions and how to live our prime years with more ease & joy.
This article first appeared on the miyakohazama.com blog at https://www.miyakohazama.com.