6. How do I know if I am in Perimenopause or if I am just wired and tired?

Look at the overall symptoms and changes that you are experiencing, in particular by examining your cycle length and bleed patterns. This in addition to understanding the symptoms that come with changing hormone levels and using the symptoms checklist shared below, should help you determine if you are in perimenopause.

Let’s look at specific hormone related symptoms.

*Important to recognise is that symptoms are a result of hormone withdrawal NOT hormone deficiency. *

These symptoms occur because there are so many changes occurring with the drop off of estrogen and the uptick of estrogen. The changes in the ratios between estrogen and progesterone and estrogen levels in general really affect our estrogen receptors, which are found in almost every system of the body. If we have a change in what our body is used to we will have a lot of change across these different systems in our body.

The most common biological symptoms experienced during perimenopause can be seen in the chart below. Doctors use this to help them determine if a woman is in perimenopause and which interventions would be best to improve the quality of daily life.