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A brief guide to understanding if you are going through perimenopause.
Is It Perimenopause or Do You Need A Lobotomy?
The dreaded perimenopause. A magical, mystical era where you are not sure if you are going crazy or every one else is going crazy. An era when every provider you see tells you to “diet and exercise,” or “you need more sleep,” or “find time to relax.” To which you want to respond, “I WOULD IF I COULD!” That’s what no one in mainstream medicine seems to understand - why you can’t still do it all. The answer is pretty simple, but the treatment can be a little more difficult. The simple answer - hormones. The difficult part - figuring out just which path to take to heal you.
“Fun” fact - Did you know that women were lobotomized for being disobedient or having too many emotions? Nothing fun about that at all, but it shows you how much about hormones and their relation to behavior is unknown, and how much pain women have to put up with to find answers! (If you’re wondering whether a lobotomy was the answer? It wasn’t.)
Although we don’t do lobotomies on women, we might as well just ignore their symptoms, as that’s what many providers seem to do. Some of the first symptoms of perimenopause can be insomnia, decreased libido, anxiety, and being overwhelmed. Often times, the answer is to prescribe SSRIs, like Prozac and Zoloft, for mental health or benzodiazepines for sleep.
While there is a time and place for mental health medications, using them as the first treatment without a thorough evaluation is not appropriate. SSRIs can cause weight gain, blunted affect, and inorgasmia; as if we need more problems! Benzodiazepines, like Xanax, can cause dependency, respiratory depression, and long-term use can lead to Alzheimer's and dementia! Many patients are not informed of these consequences when prescribed benzodiazepines.
Due to hormonal changes day-to-day and cycle-to-cycle, one can experience a multitude of non-specific symptoms on a daily basis. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone production can fall dramatically, and feel like a rollercoaster. The best way thing you can do during this time is to keep a journal of your symptoms. In your journal, include sleep quality, menstrual cycle, nutrition, hydration, stressors, and mental health quality. This will help you investigate the symptoms closely with your practitioner.
Hormone replacement therapy deserves full-body approach, and not JUST looking at your estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone levels. Thyroid optimization, gut health optimization, iron and ferritin optimization all play a role in your quality of life and outcome. Hormones and perimenopause are buzzwords, but just by replacing them, won't solve all of your problems. You still need to work closely with a practitioner to ensure that your foundations are optimal, with good nutrition, sleep, exercise, hydration, and mental rest.
At Apex Health Functional Wellness, we approach each person as an individual, by asking detailed questions to learn about the biggest factors impacting your quality of life. Additionally, our approach includes:
If you feel like your PCP is not listening to you, we are here to help you navigate this new era of your life with clarity and confidence.
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