What Are Perimenopause and Menopause?
I was watching an Instagram video where they interviewed people on the streets of midtown Manhattan and asked the simple question, “What is menopause?” A youngish guy responded, “Hormones go down, and all kinds of crazy things happen.” (I guess women are not the only ones who need to be more informed) A more realistic response was a lady said,
“Oh gosh, I’m trying to learn what that is because I have been told I am moving into that, and I just don’t understand it, and unfortunately, there is just not a lot of information about it.”
Her response to the question “What is menopause?” is all too true for most women.
Half of women are in the dark about perimenopause and menopause
Get this…a survey showed half of all women in perimenopause don’t know about perimenopause or that they are in it. Furthermore, 60% of women feel unprepared for menopause. It isn’t a great feeling to be in the middle of health transition or anything in life that lasts for years and have no idea what to expect or what to do about it the entire time. The Simplina peri/menopause coaching program aims to change these stats with tailored information and empower women each step of the way.
What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause or the menopausal transition, is when your body starts to transition and prepare for menopause. Peri means “around” in Greek, thus the name (around menopause). In natural menopause (i.e. not a hysterectomy), hormone levels, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, fluctuate, leading to various symptoms over the course of years. Some women notice shorter cycles, changes in their body shape and weight, and new symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, and weight gain may start to appear. Additional symptoms such as vaginal dryness, lower libido, and increased UTIs are also common. Symptoms are different from women to women. Perimenopause doesn’t happen overnight. On average, the menopausal transition lasts from 4-7 years for many women, but it can go on for over 10+ years before your menstrual cycles completely stop.
What is menopause?
Menopause is defined as 12 consecutive months without a period. Estrogen and progesterone levels decrease significantly. After your period has stopped for 12 consecutive months, you are post-menopausal. Because of the decline of estrogen and other hormones, many health symptoms, conditions, and diseases become more prevalent for women in their post-menopausal years. While menopause is a normal part of aging for women, it doesn’t have to translate to poor health automatically.
The real key is your health in your midlife years (ages 40-60) is what you do to take care of yourself during this time. Your health pre-menopause (20s-30s) can help determine your health status as you go into perimenopause (40s) and after menopause (50s). How you feel not just during the menopausal transition in your 40s can be changed, but being healthier in your 40s/50s can also help improve your health outcomes for your post-menopausal years 60+ can determine how you feel, what diseases you are at risk for and how you age.
What if I had a hysterectomy, oophorectomy, or other medical treatment that led to early menopause?
You are not alone. Almost 15% of American women go into menopause surgically or as a side effect of other treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, or hormonal treatment. More women are going through menopause earlier. For example, many breast cancer patients are put on drugs that block estrogen. Just because your menopausal transition was or is planning to be induced still means you need to take charge of your health - your diet, exercise, and lifestyle - to support the best outcome with the loss of hormones. A rapid transition to menopause makes it all the more important to address many of the sudden health symptoms and changes women who go into surgical or medical menopause experience. Women in this category should seek care as soon as possible.
How do I get ready for or take action during perimenopause and menopause?
Get ahead of the game and take action on your health. We help women take the first step in helping you understand what you need to know. There is science to support how nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle can change your menopause experience for the better. We also use screening tools in our coaching programs to help women identify their symptoms and what next steps may be needed beyond lifestyle changes.
The next steps may include lab tests, a review of symptoms and identifying what other providers may be needed. Having healthcare providers with experience with menopause is key. There are not enough providers with experience, but they do exist! These can be ob-gyns, gynecologists, urogynecologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, nurses, nutritionists/registered dietitians, psychologists, and psychiatrists. A physician or healthcare provider with training and experience in menopause is an important part of your care plan.
With a personalized plan tailored to your health needs and a coaching program that holds you accountable with regular check-ins, we want you to succeed. Nothing is worse than getting a lot of information and feeling so overwhelmed that you never return for a second appointment or don’t make any of the changes you need to be healthier. We aim to make it easier to be healthy for perimenopause and menopause so you feel your best self. We help you figure out what you need to do and, with regular personalized check-ins, ensure you can take the steps needed to improve your health status.
