The common thought associated with perimenopause is that these are the years of hormonal transitioning, leading up to when your periods stop completely. This is caused by changes in the ovaries and the uterus, right?
But when perimenopause symptoms kick in it becomes clear just how much these hormones affect the entire body.
There are 3 key points that will help make sense of your changing hormones.
- Hormones change gradually
Before your periods stop completely at menopause there can be up to about ten years of perimenopause where changing hormone levels cause mild perimenopause symptoms. Any symptom that is severe or disrupts your life indicates an underlying imbalance that should be addressed.
- Estrogen dominance may be more common that estrogen deficiency.
Dr. Christiane Northrup explains that having more estrogen in the body than progesterone can cause perimenopause symptoms. However, don’t assume this is the case for you. A simple saliva test you can do at home can give you vital information about how to balance your hormones.
- The adrenal glands produce sex hormones as well as stress hormones
The adrenal glands make estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone as the ovaries decline production, if they are healthy. If your adrenals are stressed, you may not be producing enough of these hormones leading to certain perimenopause symptoms.
Dr. Marina Rose recommends a simple at-home saliva test to determine your adrenal and reproductive hormone levels. She has helped women with hormone imbalances and other challenging health conditions in and around the city of San Francisco, CA.
When you’ve tried everything and haven’t found relief from your symptoms, find out how Functional Nutrition can help.
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