Top 5 Symptoms of Perimenopause

This post was brought to you by are friends at Amberen

It wasn’t until recently when I had a discussion with a friend about perimenopause. This was the first time that this subject had ever come up and my thoughts were “Really? Isn’t it too early to be thinking about this?”

She was approaching her 40’s and I’m in the 30’s, which is the most common ages to begin experiencing symptoms of perimenopause.

My husband overheard our conversation and the first thing he asked was “What is perimenopause and what am I in for?” Of course, all I could do was laugh. But after much research on this important life changing experience, I put together the top 5 symptoms of perimenopause.

Ladies…. this is what we are in for. Are you ready for this emotional rollercoaster?

1. Hormonal Mood Changes -My husband thinks he knows how handle his wife going through PMS. Women with perimenopause can and will cry over anything (does this bring you back to your pregnancy days?). Happy, sad, anger and no patience (sounds like puberty all over again). If you feel that your body is full of raging hormones, tell your husband to hang on for dear life. Now I see why they tell you to have your children at a young age. Who would have the patience to deal with a toddler while experiencing mood swings of perimenopause?
2. Weight Gain -Crying about your weight because of the hormones, turning to food for comfort because it just sounds so good and then cry some more because metabolism isn’t what it used to be. It’s a powerful thing to know what you are in for, especially before it happens. But will it make a difference?

   When perimenopause hits, get out and get moving (if you aren’t already). Not only will the exercise help with mood swings, it will help you with more energy and of course the weight gain. Food, diet and exercise are great ways to deal with most of the perimenopause symptoms.

3. Hot Flashes and Night SweatsHot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of perimenopause and it can happen at any time of the day. There’s nothing like walking around with intense flashes of heat rushing through you, along with headaches and the loss of sleep. This is when you might make a midnight trip to the refrigerator and just stand there to admire the jugs of milk in attempts to cool off your body.
4. The FlowWhat’s regular for you now, may not be so regular for you when starting perimenopause. I can attest to this. What used to be a once – 4 day cycle – that I could still function with, turned into crime scene in my bathroom. I personally had to resort to the Novasure Ablation procedure to stop my periods all together, it was that bad.
5. Lack of SleepIf the night sweats weren’t enough, tossing and turning through the night, along with frequent wake ups, can also be a symptom of perimenopause. If it isn’t my crying toddler, a weird noise outside or a snoring husband.. something else has to come in and wake us up too.

How many of these symptoms have you experienced?