Peri-Menopause & Menopause

Once we get past the regular menstrual cycles (if we were lucky enough to have regular cycles), at some point things start to change. Cycles are not regular, maybe they become heavy or worst of all, we do not feel like ourselves. This life stage is known as “pre menopause” or peri-menopause. This is a time of fluctuating hormone levels but most of all a decrease in our Progesterone. This is when “estrogen dominance” can occur.

Estrogen dominance can be best described as walking around in constant PMS. Mood swings, weight gain, bloating, insomnia, anxiety, depression, breast tenderness and low sex drive.

Perimenopause is considered the duration of time when your hormonal levels change and before you have your final menstrual period. On average, this lasts 5-10 years and typically can begin as early as age 35 or may being into our 40’s.

Menopause is considered to be the life stage when a woman has not had a menstrual cycle for at least 12 consecutive months. Once a woman is in menopause, the ovaries will stop ovulating and producing eggs. At this time, ovarian production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline, often causing many symptoms including:

Everyone experiences something different when going through these life stages. We may experience the same symptoms as someone we know, but the severity and how it affects the person can be completely different. There are some women who experience little to no problem with symptoms, however this is not the norm.

If symptoms are affecting your quality of life, compounded bio-identical hormone replacement therapy may be for you. Replacing the hormones that are missing in the amount that is right for you and your body could be the answer.