Blame it on your hormones: perimenopause

How falling levels of the female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, trigger the menopause - and how to handle it

Click here to learn more about hormones and their effects

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Click here for how to handle an underactive thyroid

The perimenopause 

What's going on? 

From about 35, your ovaries start producing less oestrogen (and progesterone). Think of oestrogen as the sex kitten of the female hormones; it improves your mood, keeps skin supple and reduces anxiety and appetite. This drop in oestrogen signals the adrenal glands to produce oestrogen, in order to compensate for declining ovarian production. If you also have a high-stress lifestyle while this is going on, the result is an overload of the hormone cortisol, released by the adrenal glands. A small increase in cortisol has a positive effect - for example, a quick burst of energy and heightened memory. But higher and prolonged levels of cortisol (as with chronic stress) have negative effects, such as suppressed thyroid function, blood sugar imbalance, decreased bone density and high blood pressure, as well as increased tummy fat and weight gain.

 

Symptoms and moods

Low oestrogen levels cause weepy, irritable and anxious moods combined with dry skin, fluid retention, headaches, vaginal dryness, weight gain, night sweats, fatigue, loss of concentration and irregular periods. And because the adrenals are so focused on producing more oestrogen - and flooding the stressed body with cortisol - they make fewer of the other vital hormones, notably adrenaline, which is why you feel even more exhausted and depressed.

 

Meanwhile, high levels of cortisol disrupt serotonin production in the brain and, as serotonin converts into melatonin (the sleep chemical) at night, this leads to sleep disturbance and insomnia. "Your whole cycle gets out of kilter," says Yinka Thomas, "cortisol levels shoot up at night instead of peaking in the morning, so you feel wired late at night, but exhausted on waking. A vicious circle develops with hormonal anxiety making it harder for you to deal with everyday stress, and everyday stress contributing to your hormonal upheavals."

 

What's the solution? 

Your GP may recommend a low-dose birth control pill or skin patches for a short time - or even progesterone injections. But Yinka Thomas cautions, "Avoid heavy gym sessions while juggling work and family, as these can be counter-productive because they raise cortisol levels. You need relaxation and downtime in your day."

 

Alternative therapy

Shabir Daya recommends Victoria Health's best-selling supplement in the UK and the USA, At Last Naturals Meno-Herbs 2 (£17.95 for 90 tablets) at the first signs of the perimenopause. It contains red clover leaf with plant oestrogens, raspberry for balancing hormones, dong quai root for hot flushes and protykin to alleviate mood swings.Alternatively, black cohosh contains phyto-oestrogens and also reduces the levels of luteinising hormone, thus regulating the ovaries. Try Healthy Direct Soy Isoflavones & Black Cohosh, (£10.99 for 90 tablets; www.healthydirect.com).  

 

Click here to learn more about hormones and their effects

Click here for how to handle PMS

Click here for how to handle an underactive thyroid

 

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