marieclaire.com.au (^) | 165
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WELLNESS
SO, WHAT IS PERIMENOPAUSE?
According to gynaecologist Dr Raewyn Teirney, it’s
the medical term given to the years before your body
experiences menopause, which is when you stop
having periods. This can happen as early as your
mid-30s, but is much more common in your 40s.
“The term ‘perimenopause’ refers to the symptoms
of hormone imbalance that many women will
experience before they reach menopause,” says Teirney.
“This imbalance can present itself in many ways.”
The most common symptom, she says, is irregular
periods, but others can include hot flushes and night
sweats, sleep disturbance, mood swings, irritability
and anxiety or feelings of stress and/or sadness.
Perimenopause can also cause weight gain or make it
harder for you to maintain your regular weight, and
some women might also experience a low libido.
On her lifestyle website Goop, actress Gwyneth
Paltrow – who started experiencing symptoms last
year at age 46 – summed it up by saying, “I think
when you get into perimenopause, you notice a lot
of changes. I can feel the hormonal shifts happening:
the sweating, the moods. You know, you’re just, like,
all of a sudden furious for no reason.”
If you are confused as to whether you’re
experiencing perimenopause or just feeling antsy
because you’re tired, a simple blood test prescribed
by your GP can diagnose it for you.HOW LONG DOES^
PERIMENOPAUSE LAST?
Like a lot of hormonal-related symptoms, the extent
that a woman is affected can vary. Teirney says that
while some women might experience the whole gamut
for several years, other women might only have a few
symptoms in a short space of time.
“There is no way to ‘put off ’ perimenopause,”
says Teirney. “It’s up to your genetics as to when you
will ... go through it, but we do know that women
who are smokers may undergo an earlier menopause,
so ceasing smoking may delay it slightly.” She adds
that perimenopause and menopause are a part of life.
Your body will essentially enter this phase when the
healthy, viable eggs left in your ovaries begin to
decline in numbers low enough to affect the levels
of fertility hormones in your body.S
ometimes being a woman feels like an
uneven conveyor belt of emotions, hormonal
changes and social expectations (two
children or three?). From the moment we
get our periods, our lives revolve around a
28-day cycle that seems restrictive when we’re not
trying to conceive. And just as we get our heads
around fertility, our biological clock and anti-ageing
creams, along comes perimenopause!
Haven’t heard of it? You’re not alone. It’s not a
topic that receives a lot of airtime. When actress
Gillian Anderson started to experience perimenopausal
symptoms in her 30s, she said, “How wonderful would
it be if we could get to a place where we are able to
have these conversations openly and without shame?”MOODINESS AND
IRRITABILITY
Studies have shown that
regular exercise can
reduce perimenopausal
irritability and mood
changes. Choose an
exercise that suits your
needs: if you are longing
for alone time, try Spin,
running or yoga. If you
need to socialise to
help balance your
moods, try team sports,
personal training or
running groups.POOR SLEEP QUALITY
Combine cardio workouts
with strength training,
and try stretching
workouts such as yogaand Pilates to help
boost the quality of
your sleep.HOT FLUSHES
Try to reduce caffeine
and spicy foods, as these
(along with alcohol) can
trigger hot flushes.FERTILITY HEALTH
Women are often still
fertile when they are
perimenopausal, albeit
with low levels of fertility.
To improve your chance
of conceiving, Teirney
recommends two actions:
reduce alcohol intake
to the maximum two
drinks a day or fewer,
and stop smoking.C
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THE CHANGING FACE^
OF PERIMENOPAUSE
With celebrities starting to speak out about
perimenopause and menopause, the traditional
“code of silence” is lifting. Not surprisingly,
Teirney believes that’s a good thing. She says
this stage in our lives should feel empowering.
“Perimenopause doesn’t have to be a negative
experience,” she explains. “It is liberating [and
cheaper] to never have to worry about having
your period again, or having to buy and deal with
sanitary products once you go through menopause.”
After the removal of her ovaries and breasts to
reduce her cancer risk (effectively placing her in early
menopause), Angelina Jolie projected resilience in
an article she wrote in The New York Times in 2015.
“I am now in menopause,” she wrote. “I will not be
able to have any more children, and I expect some
physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever
will come, not because I am strong but because
this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.”
And if you think about it, the average lifespan for
women in Australia is 84.6 years, so we spend 50 per
cent of our lives after perimenopause. It essentially
marks the second half of our lives – one without a
monthly PMS teary chocolate fest and Netflix binge.Teirney advises that women can look into Hormone
Replacement Therapy to alleviate symptoms. Hormones
prescribed by a GP or gynaecologist include estrogen and
progesterone, which balance changing hormone levels.
We can also ease the effects with a few lifestyle changes: