Is it PMS or Peri-menopause?
I’m not going to lie to you, it may be fricking difficult to tell. Read on so you have a better idea + the first steps to help with your symptoms. Be sure to share this blog with a friend that’s struggle with hormonal symptoms and isn’t sure if it’s PMS or early stages of menopause.
You’re in your 30’s never really suffered with hormonal symptoms before and now all of a sudden they seem to be giving you a hard time. You start to wonder WFT is going on…it’s too early to be starting the transition towards menopause isn’t it?
The thing with menopause is that it only lasts for 1 day, menopause is the anniversary of you not having a period for 12 consecutive months.
So if you’ve watched your mum, aunt, nan, other loved ones go through the menopause and all the symptoms that go with it; night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings etc …All those crazy hormone years are not actually menopause but peri-menopause. This stage IS NOT TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH!!!
So how do you know if your hormonal issues are PMS or Peri M? This is a question I am getting asked a lot lately which shows the information and discussion around this just isn’t out there.
The symptoms are pretty similar right? That’s why many call the peri-m years reverse puberty. You may have had years of no symptoms in your twenties/ early thirties THEN BAM!!!
Research suggests that peri-m is most likely to start in your 40’s but for some it can begin in your 30’s. I know right, I’m not able to give you much clarity.
A strong signal that your symptoms are peri-m and not PMS is if your usual regular periods start to get irregular and you feel like your bleed comes around much sooner than before. Additionally, you have more hormonal symptoms than usual or your usual ones feel more extreme. THIS IS WHY IT’S KEY TO TRACK YOUR CYCLE SO THAT YOU KNOW YOUR NORMAL.
Often we have a picture of what a menopausal women looks like, dripping in sweat with a flannel on their head. So you may not consider that you’re transitioning towards peri-M and let’s face it, sometimes we don’t want to accept that we are aging and our body is showing signs.
The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR) believes that women begin peri-m when their menstrual cycles are still regular and of normal lengths, contrary to other literature which says that only women with irregular cycles (cycle lengths varying from one to the next by 7 or more days) can be in the “menopause transition” (the official name) for peri-m.
CeMCOR have established that a number of people will go through “Very Early Perimenopause”. This is based on menstruators in midlife with regular menstrual cycles of normal lengths (21-35 days apart). They’ve identified that these menstruators may make a diagnosis of “Very Early Perimenopause” if they experience any 3 of these symptoms:
New heavy and/or longer menstrual flow
Shorter menstrual cycle length (<25 days)
New sore, swollen/ lumpy breasts
New mid-sleep awakening
Onset of night sweats especially around your period
New or markedly increased migraine headaches
New or increased premenstrual mood swings
Notable weight gain without changes in exercise or food intake
How many can you relate to right now?
It’s really common for menstruators to live with these symptoms without realising that they are in early peri-m and taking the opportunity to do something about it to make their transition towards menopause and beyond much more ease and graceful.
THIS CAN CHANGE RIGHT NOW FOR YOU AS YOU NOW HAVE THE AWARENESS.
So what can you start doing today to help your peri-m symptoms?
The good news is that even if you’re still not 100% sure if it’s peri-m or PMS - the holistic treatment for both is the same. FINALLY SOME CLARITY!
You see most menstruators that suffer hormonal issues is due to the fact that they have too much of the sex hormone oestrogen in their bodies. Oestrogen dominance is typically the root cause of most hormonal issues from infertility, PMS, low libido, cramps, heavy bleeding to PCOS.
Scientific evidence says that perimenopausal oestrogen levels are higher, more variable and unpredictable, ovulation 👑 is less frequent and progesterone levels are lower. BOOOO! We need that cool, calm and collected progesterone to help us stay grounded and to rage less!
So a good place to start to help PMS/ peri-m symptoms is getting oestrogen dominance into check.
So what causes oestrogen dominance?
Toxins like pesticides on the foods we eat
Toxins in the products we use
Stress
Poor sleep
Other environmental factors.
Our ability to detox excess oestrogen from the above mainly relies on our gut and the wider elimination system. So gut health is super important to overall hormone health.
How to deal with oestrogen dominance naturally
You want to eliminate the sources of toxins which create the excess oestrogen in the first place. We dive DEEP into this during Hormone Harmony Academy my unique 3 month group coaching programme but here are some quick tips to get you started.
Nourish your body with organic/ spray free wholefoods as much as possible
If you started eating organic today research has shown that by next week your pesticide load would have reduced by almost 90%. I LIKE THOSE STATS! I share lots of tips about eating wholefoods/ organic on a time and money budget in HHA.
Focus on cruciferous vegetable every day. Things like broccoli and broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, kale etc on your plate daily. These will help your detox from excess oestrogen.
Check your personal care and home cleaning products
Most will include the ingredient “fragrance” this is the top hormone disruptor in most products. If you want help on getting started swapping out the products in your home with trusted brand lists and easy swap guides. Join Hormone Harmony Academy TODAY!
Tune into the phases of your cycle
Use your cycle to help you plan when you should be pushing yourself at work, home, gym and social. Use your cycle as your guide for when to ease off and when to ask for help. Trust me when you start to do this there is far less stress!
Do something daily that brings you joy
Whether that’s enjoying a cup of coffee at your fave café, reading a few pages of a book in silence, taking a long bath or taking a walk in nature. Weave in daily pauses and joyriding to increase the hormone nourishing oxytocin and to reduce stress hormone cortisol.
Prioritise your sleep and create a sleep routine
Aim to minimise screen time 30 mins before bed and aiming to be in bed before 10pm (The deepest and most regenerative sleep occurs between 10 pm - 2 am).
Which will you try first?
If you’re ready to take serious action and tackle these issues head on, to improve your symptoms bu summer 2022, you will love the information we cover in detail in module 1-3 of HHA.
HHA is unique in that it caters for menstruators in peri-m. What I found as I’ve researched other hormone health courses out there is that very little actually accommodate those in peri-m. If you aren’t ovulating/ bleeding regularly honey - you’re not able to live cyclically so you ain't welcome here!! THAT IS NOT THE VIBE WITH HHA.
You see the great thing about living in harmony with your hormones is that it can help with PMS as well as symptoms of peri-m. HHA is an inclusive community and I cannot wait to get started to help you heal your hormones.
If you still have reservations and questions about HHA, PLEASE BOOK IN A CALL TODAY SO WE CAN CHAT THEM THROUGH & I can help you walk away with implementable steps to help with your hormonal issues whether you want to invest in HHA now or later.
THE GROUP SIZES ARE LIMTED TO 10 & THEY ARE FILLING FAST. If you’re on the fence don’t wait too long to decide.