Perimenopause: The Great Transition

Welcome to your journey through perimenopause

So what is Perimenopause?

A time of great hormonal flux, a time of reflection and connection, a time to surrender to the cycles of life, and to honor your wisdom and your stories.

It is the phase leading us up to menopause, which is the completion of menstruation and ovulation.

Also a time, for some of us, that can feel like your world has just turned upside down and WTF is with those mood swings and brain fog?!!

I get it......

Am I in perimenopause?

This phase can last for many years. It is the start of hormonal fluctuations and surges.

Think up, down, AND sideways.

It is a big adjustment the body has to make.

I like to tell my clients this is like the second puberty, and that did not happen overnight, that's for sure. And nor will this!

Want to know the good news? It will not always be like this, when your hormones have adjusted to their new level, things swing back into balance.

Some symptoms you may start to experience:

• Fatigue

• Skin changes

• Mood fluctuations

• Brain fog

• Poor memory retrieval

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Insomnia

• Low libido

• Weight gain

• Gut problems

• Aches and pains

• Hot flushes

Did you know: we have estrogen receptor sites in our brains?

Take a moment to think about our sisters in the 50's, who were fed up with the drug Valium, had electric shock treatment, and were sent to mental institutions because they thought they were going mad.

This shit is real and not in our heads, well, the receptors sites are, and there are plenty of them!

And when we are going through perimenopause, this has a significant effect on our ability to regulate mood.

I will be 50 in May. I have three kids, all under 15! Yes, I started a tad late. Was busy seeing the world!

Perimenopause kind of snuck up on me, I ignored it for quite a while, until my oldest son said to me one day

"Mum, you seem to be doing really well this month compared to the last few months (surges).

And do you think you will have the perimenopause at Christmas time?” in such a caring tone.

I thought to myself, Okay, Coryn, you know this, you teach this.

So I started to do some reflecting.

What is more important to me now than was before?

What do I need to change to accommodate this time in my life?

What do I need to put in place so I can feel connected to myself?

So you see I get it, I have seen my mum go through it, my sisters, my clients, my girlfriends and now I am on the rollercoaster myself.

Every woman's journey will be unique

Below are some key pillars to helping you with your journey into perimenopause and beyond into menopause. Nourishing yourself within these pillars can really make a massive difference to your symptoms.

I know this because I see it in my clients and in myself.

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Pillars of Hormonal Health

EAT - MOVE - CHILL - CYCLES

You can make an impact on your symptoms by looking after yourself.

Did she just say it? Yes looking after you first!

I know we are programmed as women to look after everyone else first.

But ……this is your time. Honor it!

Eat: Nutrition is key to optimizing hormonal health

My food tips:

• Don't overeat or undereat. Find your rhythm

• Cut back on refined foods and sugars

• Create food diversity with loads of fresh fruits, legumes, and vegetables

• Cut back on the alcohol

• Eat nourishing delish food with no guilt

Move: Exercise is key for hormonal health

My move tips:

• Don't over-exercise or underexercise. Find your groove

• Start to look at the types of exercise you are doing. Weight-bearing and strength training is a must for declining hormones

• Move with joy

• Get into a routine with movement

Chill: Stress will wreak havoc on your hormonal system

My chill tips:

• Practice rituals and self-care

• Meditate

• Breath deeply

• Do what lights you up

• Find things or people that make you laugh

Cycles: Being in touch with your circadian rhythms is so important for hormonal health

My cycle tips:

• We are cyclic creatures most of our genes are called clock genes

• Try keeping to a rhythm of going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time

• Try to expose yourself to the first natural light of the day and the evening light

• The body also has a cyclical rhythm with digestion, and absorption, try eating at regular times and not too late

This can help with that jet-lagged feeling we can sometimes feel when our circadian rhythms get disturbed in hormone flux.

My sleep tips:

• Turn off all screens 30 mins before bed

• Create a dark room

• Don't eat dinner too late

• Exercise in the morning as opposed to at night

• Listen to some deep relaxation meditations

Honoring your journey

This is a time of fluctuation.

Of change, and transition.

This is a time of wisdom and knowledge.

The wise women are calling, are you going to listen and surrender to it?

This is a natural journey where we can learn to not care so much about what others think, stop looking after everybody else and turn into what serves us.

As we all know if it serves us, it will serve all the people in our lives.

Where to start?

Overwhelm will stop you in your tracks!

My invitation is to look at your week and pick a few changes that you can implement weekly.

This could be from any of the pillars above.

Should I take supplements?

Everybody is different here.

So what works for some may not work for others.

My advice on this would be to try the lifestyle changes and then layer in a supplement protocol specific to your needs.

This could range from mineral therapy to vitamins, and herbal formulas.

Not one size fits all. This is important to note.

Being a naturopath I cringe sometimes at the number of supplements that people take, the ones they think they need and not reaching a therapeutic level to be effective.

So think wisely when you are using supplements.

It's like building a house. Hang on, I am not a builder, it's like making a great dish, you don't just throw everything in the pan at the same time.

You choose your ingredients wisely, you follow a method and sometimes less is more.

As a rule of thumb just to give you a reference point, I don't like to use more than 3 supplements when working with people on any given protocol.

Ways you can work with me:

I can help you with your overwhelm.

The personalized nutrition plan and supplement protocol.

Personalized epigenetic Health and Well-being functional test.

Online course's.

Inspiration, support, and a reminder of how amazing you are!

Coryn X