So many symptoms of Perimenopause are similar to normal Period symptoms, I wish someone had given me a booklet on the Menopause years ago! I hope my blogs will help many, many women who are younger than me and have not quite reached the start of it yet.
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Symptoms Of Perimenopause
There are many symptoms of perimenopause! Here are some of the main ones:
Breast Pain: One symptom I think lots of women miss is breast pain, with your hormones fluctuating and maybe not even realizing it, this symptom can be virtually non-existent to agony and unbearable in seconds. I have had lots of friends tell me this was a big symptom that, when they look back now, it would have been a huge indicator to this change beginning to happen. Often your breasts can be lumpier and throb without any warning for no reason at all.
One thing that has ALWAYS concerned me is the amount of women who go to the gym, exercise or powerwalk etc and wear no support! At our age ladies this is imperative, a few years ago, I had a very painful left breast and was sent to see a specialist consultant. One of the first things he said to me was “Do you run/exercise?”, which I did and he told me there and then that I wasn’t wearing the right sports bra. From then on I have been wearing a Shock Absorber Run Sports Bra and haven’t had any problems since and it is also incredibly comfortable.
I have recently started taking Optibac’s probiotics for many of my menopausal symptoms and so far I can’t recommend them highly enough! Click here to view the supplements that I have been taking!
Hot Flushes: I have many friends who suffer with these, they can last for years on end and start from the beginning of Perimenopause, lasting seconds or for some ladies around half an hour. I’ve been told these are absolutely brilliant for anyone suffering with hot flushes!
Weight Gain: This can be down to lots of different reasons, hormones, diet, exercise, stress and genetics. Your weight through the Menopause is down to most of those things, keeping fit and active is key and eating the right foods aids the reduction of the Meno belly! I absolutely love these women’s tech tights, they are so comfortable around the gym and I also wear them around the house too!
Fore more Menopause blogs, click the link here.
Bruising Easily: This can be a sign of Perimenopause, women can become more clumsy and the bruises are much larger in size than you would normally expect.
Brain Fog – We become more forgetful, cannot finish our sentences and find it hard to relax, these are all down to the hormone changes in our body.
Facial Hair: One of my absolute dreads personally! I was so obsessed with anyone noticing, that I had some laser treatment on my chin to remove them. Being a Beauty Therapist, I am in close proximity to my clients and made me pretty paranoid that the hairs could be seen. I never had that many hairs but I am still glad I had it done. I see some pretty sights, doing my job and all I can say ladies is look in your rear view mirror on a sunny day, that will show you a pretty accurate picture of your lip and chin hairs.
Watery Eyes: If your eyes do this, it means that they are actually dry and trying to make up for the lack of moisture. Also, the hormone levels dropping off can cause your vision to change, often losing your distance before you close up, keeping to regular eye tests is important.
Hair: Becomes dryer and breaks more easily leaving it brittle in places. I LOVE using this argon oil for my hair!
Heart Palpitations: This can be one of the more common symptoms of perimenopause but it is not mentioned much, like so many other Menopause symptoms I think it is often put down to other symptoms of the Menopause like anxiety or stress that causes the heart to race or become irregular.
Bladder Issues: Lots of my friend’s exercise talk to me about this a lot! If they do lots of jumping or cough and sneeze, they wee a little, and need to go to the toilet straight away. Caused by Stress Urinary Incontinence or Urge Urinary Incontinence, lower Oestrogen levels cause the lining of the urethra to thin. Often having a natural birth causes weak pelvic floor muscles and can be to blame too.
Dry Skin: With Oestrogen lessening, dry skin, acne, and thinning skin are another sign of entering Perimenopause, causing lots of different flare up’s including Eczema and Psoriasis. This cream is great for dry skin, the reviews speak for themselves.
Body Odour: With Oestrogen levels dropping, a false signal is sent to your Hypothalamus Gland telling it you are overheating, hence your body starts to sweat more to cool you down. Hot flushes and night sweats won’t help with body odour either, keeping the bedroom cool and a window slightly open can help.
Headaches and Migraines: I did not know that these can actually start for the first time when Perimenopause starts and is one of the more common symptoms of perimenopause, due to hormone levels fluctuating. But, apparently for most women over 60, very few women suffer with them, I am sure sufferers are relieved to hear this!
Bacterial Vaginosis: Many women have this (often undiagnosed) as one of their symptoms of perimenopause, it is normally dealt with by taking a course of antibiotics prescribed by your GP. This can be rife in menopausal and postmenopausal women.
Symptoms can differ between women but the most common symptoms are vaginal dryness, external itching, pain or discomfort during sex and the urge to urinate more. Some women end up taking multiple courses of antibiotics throughout the year for vaginal problems, but Optibac probiotics have come up with a product designed just for women and their “lady” problems and I’ve heard its amazing! The probiotics work by supporting a balanced and healthy vaginal environment by increasing levels of Lactobacilli naturally present in the vagina. Click here to check it out!
Painful Sex: Due to Oestrogen levels lowering again, this thins and dries the vaginal tissue and decreases the blood flow to the area. The dryness can lead to itching and pain. Lots of lubricants are on the market and your GP can advise according to your symptoms.
Irregular Periods: I think we all know this as one of the symptoms of perimenopause, heavy, light, leg cramps, stomach pain that leaves you in agony. It does get better and when they are gone…yipee!
Bone loss – Again that Oestrogen loss plays a huge part in bone loss. Putting most of us ladies in a higher risk group of Osteoporosis. This can lead to your fracturing your bones more easily.
Having been through Perimenopause all I can say is it does not last forever, ALWAYS go and speak to your GP if you are concerned about any symptoms, don’t put everything down the Menopause, Perimenopause or Post Menopause and don’t over analyse it!
This company provides a range of high quality grade of vitamins and minerals and have lots of suggestions of supplements you can take for symptoms of the menopause. Click here to give have a look!
If you enjoyed reading our Blog on symptoms of perimenopause, read more of our blog posts from The Menopause Lounge by Clicking Here!
*DISCLAIMER*This page does not provide medical advice; it is intended for informational purposes only and is based upon my opinion and experiences. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on The Executive Menopause Coach website. Always seek professional medical advice.
Thank you for this blog – I’ve just discovered it from listening to on Clubhouse! I’m nearly 44 and have had so many of these symptoms for about 18 months: acne, eczema, body odour (these are my worst three), and increasingly irregular and terrible periods – currently on CD 43 and have been waiting for it for over a week with acne and very painful breasts. I have an appointment with an endocrine doctor next month so hopefully I’ll get some tests done to confirm. Whenever I mention menopause to people (friends, partner) they tend to laugh it off as they think I’m too young, which doesn’t help!
Thank you so much Michelle for your lovely message! Please spread the word to your friend let’s get this Menopause message out there! Clipboardclaire is free for anyone to read and make sure you sign up to our free email reminders too! 💕
I have the external vaginal and vulva itching. I have recently received the Optibac. How long does it take for the problem to go away? I have tried everything including Premarin cream.
Like lots of these supplements, it’s down to the individual and depends how sensitive you are to probiotics..a few weeks to a month you should notice a difference Sharon💕
As someone who has gone through menopause, I’d say this list is very accurate. Thanks for sharing suggestions to remedy the situation.