Kylie: [00:00:00] Welcome back to episode of the Hormone Hub Podcast, where we talk all things perimenopause, menopause, and have the conversations no one else is having. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode. 

Hello, hello, ladies, and welcome back to the Hormone Hub podcast. I’m your host, Kylie Pinwill. And today I want to take you back to basics. So what are the signs and symptoms of perimenopause? So what are we getting ourselves in for? Because I mean, obviously a lot of groups on social media, I get emails all the time.

I get questions all the time. And, you know, women think that they’re going crazy. And I just want to reassure you that you are not going crazy. It is likely your hormones. Okay. So what happens is it is reverse puberty. So just like we didn’t wake up one day and we had boobs in a period, the same thing is with perimenopause is we don’t wake up one day and [00:01:00] all of a sudden we’re in menopause.

It’s a process that happens and it can be sort of anywhere between two and sort of 10 years. So it is different for all of us. We’re all going to have a different experience. But I thought I’d talk about some of the things, the process that we go through. So hopefully that gives you a better understanding of what’s going on with your body, what’s normal, what’s not.

And the thing is to remember, we will all go through it and we will all come out the other side. So it’s not going to be something that lasts forever. And it doesn’t have to be something that’s, you know, this big, dreadful, horrible thing either. There’s a lot we can do to sort of reset our perimenopause and menopause symptoms.

Okay. So a lot of what we go through can be exacerbated by diet, can be exacerbated by lifestyle, and 100 percent can be exacerbated by stress as well. So we’ll get to that in a sec. 

So first up, when it comes to our hormones, blood tests are not my go to. [00:02:00] Some doctors are also across this and they don’t recommend blood testing.

So if you do ask for bloods from your doctor and they say no for hormones, this is why, because our hormones change on a daily basis, even an hourly basis. For example, men who don’t have a cycle, they have a very stable hormonal profile. If you’re through the other side of menopause, you will also have a more stable, you still sort of have those cyclical sort of ups and downs, particularly where cortisol is involved.

But it tends to be a lot more stable, but in perimenopause, this is where things get a little bit more unpredictable. And your best gauge of where you’re at in your perimenopause journey is your signs and symptoms. So that’s why, always a conversation that I have with a woman and asking certain questions, learning more about the symptoms she’s experiencing, that tells me so much more than a blood [00:03:00] test for your hormones.

So there’s four stages to perimenopause. And the first stage is when our progesterone levels start to drop. So this can happen in our mid thirties our early forties. So at this point, you’re still likely having regular periods but our body is naturally producing less progesterone. And if we think of progesterone as our happy, calming hormone so when our progesterone starts to drop, this is where we start to see, an increase in anxiety.

This is where, maybe it’s disrupting our sleep at night. Some women experience breast pain migraines might be sort of common at this stage as well. And this drop in progesterone makes us more susceptible to cortisol. So more susceptible, a bit more vulnerable to stress. And this can then impact our energy levels.

It can trigger mood swings. Weight gain is really common at this point, and we don’t know why, because maybe nothing’s changed. And [00:04:00] certainly it can mess with our sleep. So stress significantly can interrupt our hormone balance for sure. So this is sort of like early perimenopause. Some women won’t even notice, other women will feel it big time.

Now the second stage is when we start to get high levels of fluctuating estrogen. So as we are losing progesterone at this point in time, we can also experience. up to three times higher levels of estrogen than we’re used to. Now, estrogen is really beneficial for our body, but when we get too much and when that estrogen is recycled through our body, it tends to be quite inflammatory.

So this is where we might see really heavy periods. So this excess estrogen. Like I said, it’s inflammatory, it can trigger our histamine levels, which makes us more sensitive to sinus infections, allergies different foods. So some women notice bloating and [00:05:00] constipation, hay fever reactions, hives, maybe you’ve previously had eczema, you haven’t had it.

Worried about it for years, and it’s come back big time. So this high estrogen mops up and it connects with our out those histamines. So that’s why we start to see, an increase in those allergy symptoms. Now, after, we’ve had high fluctuating estrogen potentially for a few years. It starts to drop. So our body is naturally moving into that next gear and producing lower levels of estrogen. So we’ve already got local progesterone. We start to produce low estrogen. So this is where we, in a classic sort of indicator of low estrogen is hot flushes. Okay. So also insomnia that continues brain fog, trouble focusing, and an increase in anxiety.

And this is where, when I sort of speak to a lot of women you know, particularly, you know, workplace scenario, they’re [00:06:00] starting to notice like they they’re losing their confidence. Because of that brain fog, their decision making they feel their decision making’s impaired our periods can become more irregular and, can space out and can be a few months in between.

So this is, yeah, sort of fun times. And it’s when we, move into that next stage where we haven’t had a period for a year, we go into menopause. So when you officially haven’t. Had a period for a year. Congratulations. No one’s giving you a trophy, but you’re in menopause. And this is where naturally, our ovaries are no longer producing estrogen and progesterone.

Our body still does. Our adrenals take over. And we become more sensitive at this point to insulin resistance, which makes us more prone to weight gain hot flushes. And this is where the dryness kicks in. So dry skin, dry lips, dry eyes, dry hair, dry vaginas, dry vulvas all of those [00:07:00] are fun things.

And this is where we now sort of tend to be more vulnerable also to heart disease and potentially osteoporosis as well. So it’s, it’s always good to be aware that there are different stages to perimenopause. And then, when you are in menopause, you haven’t had a period for a year. 

Hormone Hub episode is sponsored by our free hormone help call book in your call today with one of our experienced advisors, and we’ll give you some clarity around what’s causing your symptoms and some simple steps you can use straight away to improve your menopause experience. If you’re ready to take the next step book in a call and find out more about how we can help you have a smoother transition through perimenopause and menopause, let us help you balance out your hormones, reset your metabolism, and get your confidence back so you can live the life you’re meant to.

The link with all the details is [00:08:00] in our show notes or over at kyliepinwill.com / hormone help call.

Kylie: ​Now where signs and symptoms can be particularly helpful is for women, if you do have a really irregular cycle or if you have gone, had an ablation or you have a Marina or you’re on the pill or you’ve been through chemotherapy or, something like that, and you still have your ovaries intact.

So your ovaries can still cycle. So you will still go through these stages of perimenopause. So it’s good to be aware and it’s good, as a, I guess a benchmark for you to, to sort of track where you’re at in your perimenopause and menopause journey as well by your symptoms rather than from a blood test.

A lot of women have also asked me about Dutch testing. Dutch testing can be amazing. It does give us quite a lot of information [00:09:00] about your hormones, but again, it’s got to be taken on the right day. So if you are having irregular periods, it can be really hard. So this is where we would look at doing a Dutch test.

Between day three to day five of your cycle, and it’ll give us a snapshot of what was happening on that day. So again, it’s not definitive because your hormones are changing, but it does give you lots of information. And if you are going to do a Dutch test, this isn’t the first point of call that I do with my clients.

Again, I tend to go on signs and symptoms, and then if we need a bit more further investigation because your body’s not responding the way we do expect then, I might look at doing a Dutch test because, they’re close to $500. So it’s not just something you want to have done, nice information to have, and then you file it away in a drawer.

You want to make sure if you’re having a Dutch test done, that it’s interpreted properly, interpreted correctly, and also you’re [00:10:00] given an action plan at the end of that as well, because otherwise you just have a very nice, expensive, piece of paper, which we don’t want, I would rather give you action steps.

Now it’s important to know also too, that your body works together. So your hormones don’t operate in isolation. So if you are under stress, you know, your adrenal glands produce your stress hormones, so your adrenals are going to be depleted and your adrenals, your sex hormones, and your thyroid are very closely linked.

So we wanna make sure that we are supporting all of our hormones. You are not just one body system operating in isolation. We need to have a look at you as a whole. So menopause is a journey, definitely knowing, having the tools and, building yourself a toolkit to be able to sort of manage.

This journey is really helpful because [00:11:00] this is going to give you the skills to help you navigate this. And, this is where it’s a time in life where you need to start making yourself a priority. You need to start choosing to make yourself a priority because this is where we tend to be more vulnerable to disease than potentially ever before.

So, making yourself and choosing to thrive and make it a choice. We all have a choice. We can, sort of sit back and kind of wonder what’s going on, or we can empower ourselves with the information and know through diet choices, lifestyle choices managing our stress, making ourselves a priority.

These are all, imperative to helping you through on that journey. So self care is not a luxury at this point. It’s essential. 

Okay, my loves. Well, I hope this has inspired you to slow down. I hope you gives you a better understanding of [00:12:00] your perimenopause menopause journey. And just remember, I’ll link in the notes, my guide to the signs and symptoms.

And, there’s potentially over a hundred different symptoms of perimenopause. Some of them do cross over to other conditions. So if you’re concerned, always, always seek medical advice. But if you sort of tick off some of these and you kind of go, yep. Okay, got it. I know where I’m at.

And then when you know, you can then choose to make changes around that. So if there’s anything I can help you with, I would love to jump on a hormone help call with you because this is what I do. I love empowering women with the tools so they can make the changes and thrive through this time, not suffer.

All right, my loves. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope it was helpful and I will see you in the next episode.

 Thank you for taking the time to listen today. You can head on over to the show notes at [00:13:00] kyliepinwill.com/podcast where you’ll find all the links. Now, before we go, it would mean the world to me if you’d head on over to your favorite podcast channel, subscribe and leave a review. Don’t forget to share it with your friends.

Then stay tuned for next week’s episode and I can’t wait to see you then.