You might never have heard of perimenopause supplements. You might never have even heard of perimenopause. But its a phase of menopause that every woman experiences and perimenopause supplements can help minimize the symptoms.
The Stages of Menopause
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual period’s stop and her ability to bear children stops with it.
Perimenopause is often confused with premenopause. Premenopause is the first stage of menopause and happens while you still have your periods, regularly or irregularly, and you’re still in your reproductive years. There may be some hormonal changes happening, but you generally experience no symptoms, menopausal or not, during premenopause.
During perimenopause, the second stage of menopause, you begin to experience some menopausal symptoms.
A good way to spot the difference between premenopause and perimenopause is to remember that ‘pre’ means ‘before’, like your pre-workout snack. ‘Peri’ means ‘around’, like the perimeter of a property is around the outside of the property.
So, considering that menopause is when your period actually stops, premenopause happens before any symptoms of menopause are apparent, and perimenopause happens just before, or around, menopause.
Another way to think of perimenopause is as the transition time between your reproductive years and menopause. You haven’t reached menopause, but you begin to experience many of the symptoms. Perimenopause can start in your late 30s, or in your 40s or 50s. It can last for as little as a few months and as long as 10 years; the average being around 4 years.
The Symptoms of Perimenopause
Generally speaking, the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are similar. One example of a difference is the loss of your period. During perimenopause, you may experience irregular periods, but menopause isn’t considered to have fully started until you miss your period of 12 consecutive months.
In addition to irregular periods, the following are among the symptoms you may experience during perimenopause.
1. Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of perimenopause. Their intensity, duration, and frequency can vary widely.
2. Headaches
Whether you regularly or rarely have headaches, their frequency can increase during perimenopause.
3. Sleep Problems
Often related to hot flashes or headaches, but often happening for no apparent reason, sleep difficulties are also common during perimenopause.
4. Mood Swings
Mood swings and sudden irritability can happen during perimenopause. They can also be caused by lack of sleep, hormonal changes or other factors not related to perimenopause.
5. Vaginal & Bladder Issues
Estrogen production goes down during perimenopause and that can result in vaginal dryness and lack of elasticity. You may also be more liable to contracting urinary and vaginal infections. And you may experience urinary ‘leaking’.
6. Bloating
Whether due to water or gas retention, bloating can increase during perimenopause.
7. Depression & Anxiety
You can experience depression and anxiety during perimenopause due to both the hormonal changes your body is going through, and for reasons related to chronic symptoms and the change in your life.
Everyone is different. It is impossible to say which symptoms you will experience, how severe the symptoms will be, or even if the symptoms are related to perimenopause (men get hot flashes too!).
In any case, the symptoms can affect your day-to-day life. Even just sleep problems can affect your concentration and mood and even contribute to weight gain. Herbal nutritional supplements can restore and/or boost your nutrition levels, which may be affected by perimenopause and menopause. With the right nutrition, your body has more resilience against the symptoms and your experience of those symptoms can be much milder.
Herbal One’s Ultra Meno Support is a high-quality herbal supplement uniquely formulated to support your health and wellbeing throughout perimenopause and menopause. Call or visit your nearest Herbal One Centre and speak to a nutritional consultant to learn more.