What Are The 34 Symptoms of Perimenopause?
Waking up drenched in sweat even when the room is cool? Are you finding that everyday situations are now leading to strong emotional reactions? You’re not on your own.
In their late thirties and early forties, many notice and complain about their bodies and moods. Many women blame stress, poor sleep, or busy schedules without realizing hormonal shifts may be contributing to these changes.
Often, it is at the start of the perimenopause that these changes occur and estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. However, these fluctuations impact much more than your period. They will significantly affect sleep quality, mood and digestion. Changes to your metabolism, energy levels and thinking could also be significant.
Thankfully, you can feel more grounded and resilient. It all comes down to supportive daily habits. Focus on building a healthy balance of nutrition, wellness, and consistent stress management.
Your body is speaking to you. If you learn the 34 symptoms of perimenopause, you can understand exactly what that communication says. Once you do that, you can deliberately nurture your body and manage this phase with much greater confidence.
What Is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the transition period leading to menopause. During perimenopause, the body's ovaries begin to decrease estrogen and progesterone production.
Hormones don't rise or fall smoothly. They vary considerably, creating a random mix of perimenopausal symptoms. Perimenopause begins differently for every woman. Some women find themselves dealing with physical symptoms first, and others with emotional or mental ones.
A woman is officially in menopause when she has not had a menstrual period for one full year. Perimenopause occurs before menopause and can last for a period of many years. A majority of women notice the beginning of perimenopause symptoms in their 40s, but this can also occur earlier for some women in the late 30s.
This hormonal change can also lead to changes in:
• Sleep
• Mood
• Metabolism
• Digestion
• Skin Health
• Memory
• Energy levels
• Emotional health
Why Does Perimenopause Cause So Many Symptoms?
Hormones impact almost all the systems in your body. As estrogen and progesterone levels become less stable, the nervous system, metabolism, sleep cycle, and mood regulation pathways all begin responding differently. Changes in hormone levels affect your brain, nervous system, metabolism, and stress system, to name a few.
Estrogen helps:
• Balance mood
• Aid memory
• Control body temperature
• Contribute to healthy skin
• Maintain bone health
Progesterone is needed to:
• Stabilize sleep
• Promote calm
• Facilitate emotional balance
As your hormone levels shift, many women experience the effects of female hormonal imbalances that seem unrelated at first. For example:
• You might have brain fog and difficulty sleeping.
• You might notice a boost in anxiety when under stressful conditions.
• You might experience more bloating when your cycles shift.
• You might find yourself extra tired after a bad night's sleep.
Your stress response can also amplify symptoms of perimenopause. High levels of cortisol can exacerbate:
• Mood swings
• Sleep disturbance
• Fatigue
• Cravings
• Emotional overload
For these reasons, positive lifestyle practices can be incredibly beneficial during perimenopause.
The 34 Symptoms of Perimenopause
Your body will likely undergo a few changes. During perimenopause, hormones vary, creating changes across the body.
Hence perimenopausal symptoms can feel broad and unpredictable. Below are the 34 symptoms of perimenopause listed in detail. For each of the 34 symptoms, you'll see a short description of a common feeling you may experience.
1. Irregular periods:
Unusual periods can be one of the first signs of perimenopause. Menstrual periods might become shorter, longer, heavier, lighter or erratic. Some women skip periods altogether and then begin having periods again. This is due to estrogen and progesterone levels that are out of their predictable cycle.
2. Hot flashes:
Hot flashes are abrupt feelings of heat in which an individual's face, neck, and upper torso will become hot. The hot flash can last anywhere from seconds to minutes. People having a hot flash might also notice flushing, sweating, or a pounding heart. The fluctuating hormones of perimenopause will affect a person's internal body temperature regulation.
3. Night sweats:
Night sweats are hot flashes that a person experiences while they are sleeping. These disturbances can occur numerous times a night and really disturb sleep. The next day, you will normally wake up feeling exhausted and very bad-tempered, and concentration can be difficult. Disrupted sleep due to night sweats is the most commonly cited perimenopause symptom.
4. Mood swings:
The range and unpredictability of mood swings can also be amplified during perimenopause. While some women can be particularly emotional, volatile, and irritable, they can also feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. Fluctuating hormones affect brain chemicals, leading to these mood changes.
5. Anxiety:
Anxiety can often increase during the perimenopausal period and become a much more pronounced symptom. Some women refer to perimenopause anxiety as a feeling of being 'wired' and that although there is no reason for it the body still feels hyper. Even if you seldom experienced anxiety before this time, you may notice it now comes as very powerful. Many women report feeling tense, restless, and on edge most of the time. Fluctuating hormones, lack of sleep, stress-any of those things are huge anxiety triggers.
6. Depression:
Depression is a significant problem that may emerge or worsen during perimenopause. Body and mind are also likely to be affected at this stage. Some women may find themselves experiencing great sadness, heavy feelings and loss of interest. It will also be hard to concentrate, and weight changes can be problematic. Changes in hormone levels are believed to affect mood by altering serotonin levels.
7. Brain fog:
Brain fog may be one of the most annoying hormonal symptoms women experience during perimenopause. Most women also report an increase in brain fog when sleep or stress is bad, particularly in the few days before the period is 'expected' if irregular. Women report difficulty with multitasking, memory recall, information processing, and mental sharpness. Worsened sleep may also be a contributing factor to cognitive decline during perimenopause.
8. Memory problems:
Gradual forgetfulness is a sign which occurs during perimenopause. In these moments, you can lose track of time, appointments or your thoughts mid-conversation. Even saying the right thing at the right time or remembering facts immediately will seem very difficult. What is responsible for this? Researchers believe declining estrogen levels may contribute to a significant effect on memory and brain power.
9. Fatigue:
Many women experience more fatigue during perimenopause than ever before, even with a sufficient amount of rest. There are several reasons for your chronic fatigue and lack of energy. Hormonal fluctuations, along with poor sleep, contribute significantly to the problem. Plus, disrupted sleep patterns can place additional strain on the nervous system.
10. Trouble sleeping:
Difficulties with sleep are common symptoms for women entering perimenopause. Women may find it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, and/or wake repeatedly throughout the night. The rise and fall of hormones may contribute to the woman's body's inability to enter and remain in its natural sleep cycle. Night sweats and anxious feelings are more apt to contribute to sleep problems.
11. Weight gain
Weight gain during perimenopause commonly affects the abdominal area due to hormonal and metabolic changes. A decrease in muscle mass in mid-life, even without significant dietary modifications, can have the potential to reduce your calorific expenditure.
These hormonal changes also have a major impact on the rate at which your body works (metabolism) and on how it uses insulin. It also affects how you control your appetite, decreasing muscle mass. As a combination, this results in increased weight gain. Lack of sleep and chronic stress can also influence the body's tendency to gain weight and redistribute its fat cells.
12. Bloating:
Many more women report bloating as hormone levels begin to fluctuate. Women often experience increased water retention, abdominal bloating, or GI issues at specific points in their cycles. Additionally, stress and gut health imbalances can further exacerbate bloating.
13. Breast tenderness:
Many women may find their breasts remain tender or that this tenderness has increased with perimenopause. Fluctuating hormones may be responsible for swelling or heaviness of your breast tissue, which may also be tender. You'll usually feel tenderness just before or during your periods. This will be fairly common as your period starts becoming more erratic.
14. Headaches:
Many women note an increased incidence of headaches and migraines during these hormonal changes. Alterations in hormone levels (such as estrogen) have profound effects on your blood vessels and nervous system. They cause systemic inflammatory responses in the body. For some women, these are precisely the conditions responsible for many of their headaches.
15. Joint pain:
Joint pain is becoming more and more recognized as a symptom of perimenopause. Women may note aching in the knees, hips, and hands and shoulders, which may include stiffness. These changes may be attributed to estrogen's effects on inflammation and joints.
16. Muscle aches:
Ongoing muscle pain, stiffness and slow recovery after exercise often occurs due to the hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, stress and inflammation that typically accompanies perimenopause. Neck, shoulder and lower back tension is commonly reported during periods of stress and fatigue. The continued presence of muscle aches and pain is significantly influenced by estrogen decline, resulting in a decreased capacity to withstand physical strain and an elongated muscle repair process.
17. Low libido:
You may notice decreased libido during times of hormonal changes. Low levels of estrogen and testosterone may impact sexual arousal, motivation, as well as a woman's emotional availability to her partner, and her sexual feelings in general. Increased fatigue and stress will play a role.
18. Vaginal dryness:
Vaginal dryness can be a normal symptom at this point. This might include irritation, burning, or pain when having sex. It's hormones that can directly affect vaginal tissue, thinning it and making it dry.
19. Irritability:
Irritability may begin to occur during times of stress. Hormonal shifts and lack of sleep will directly affect how you feel. Many women notice reduced patience and increased emotional sensitivity. You may experience emotions so extreme that it is as though you have never experienced them before.
20. Hair thinning:
Hair thinning may be noticeable to women during perimenopause. Hormonal changes can affect hair growth stages, leading to decreased shedding or reduced hair density over time.
21. Dry skin:
Skin can become dry as estrogen decreases. Skin may become thinner and feel less smooth, soft, and flexible, and may also become dry. Collagen production is also decreased during midlife hormonal shifts.
22. Acne:
Acne may continue or worsen in perimenopause. Breakouts often occur along the jawline, chin, or lower face when androgen levels begin to dominate estrogen.
23. Heart palpitations:
Heart palpitations might feel like the heart is fluttering, pounding or racing. Menopause also affects your nervous and cardiovascular systems. That's why you can get these transient heart rate changes: Hormonal fluctuations can temporarily affect heart rhythm and nervous system activity.
24. Dizziness:
Here are the factors that contribute to feeling dizzy or light-headed during this time. The changing hormone levels and disturbed stress response are the biggest culprits. Lack of sleep and unstable blood sugar make the problem worse, too. Some women report feeling dizzy at times when they are most tired and anxious.
25. Tingling sensations:
Numbness might feel like pins and needles in the hands, feet, arms or legs. Hormone changes might affect nerve sensitivity or circulation.
26. Digestive changes:
Digestive changes are also becoming more prevalent around perimenopause. Women may experience changes in bowel movements, appetite, and digestion, or gas. Both stress hormones and estrogen changes affect the way our digestion works.
27. Food cravings:
The craving normally increases for sugar and refined carbohydrates during perimenopause. Specific triggers: sleep deficiency, stress hormones, unstable blood sugar. And of course, the overall hormonal changes increase their presence.
28. Increased PMS symptoms:
An increase in PMS is also typical around perimenopause. For many women who previously had few PMS symptoms, they may now have an intensification of symptoms.
29. Urinary urgency:
Feeling the urge to urinate frequently can be especially acute at this point. The weakened pelvic tissue can no longer support the bladder as estrogen levels drop. Some women report more urge, more frequency and more bladder sensitivity.
30. Reduced stress tolerance:
One less recognized symptom of perimenopause is diminished stress tolerance. The same duties that were easily manageable suddenly become emotionally taxing. Changes in hormone levels profoundly affect the nervous system. Your default setting for sensitivities changes. For example, emotional responses are much harder to control.
31. Difficulty concentrating:
Decreased concentration goes hand in hand with the symptoms of brain fog and exhaustion. Some women find they are unable to concentrate during conversations, on work tasks, or even on responsibilities at home. Chronic stress and lack of sleep also play a large role in impaired concentration.
32. Electric shock sensations:
Some women experience brief electric shock sensations beneath the skin during perimenopause. They are brief, sharp shocks, similar to the minor electric shocks women feel just under the skin. Women who experience it may say that it feels like the body is getting zapped.
33. Changes in body odour:
Changes in body odour are often noted due to hormonal changes, which cause a woman to produce more sweat, and the bacteria on her skin respond differently. Women have reported a more intense body odour.
34. Gum sensitivity:
Hormonal shifts in your body may result in inflammation of the tissues in your mouth. In turn, this inflammation will usually manifest in the sensitive gums, an often-forgotten sign. Women with this symptom have reported sensitive and sometimes bleeding or swollen gums.
Many women experience several of these symptoms simultaneously. Others notice symptoms gradually over several years. The experience of perimenopause is different for every woman. Support and life adjustments, therefore, need to be customized.
Which Perimenopause Symptoms Are Most Common?
Some perimenopausal symptoms tend to be more common than others. The symptoms of perimenopause commonly include:
• Irregular periods
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Trouble sleeping
• Weight gain
• Bloating
Sleep disturbance can easily become one of the most difficult aspects of perimenopause. Insufficient sleep can have negative impacts on a woman's:
• Mood
• Energy levels
• Stress tolerance
• Concentration levels
• Food cravings
In the early part of perimenopause, women tend to suffer from more emotional symptoms than physical ones. Some examples are feelings of anxiety, moodiness, and having increased emotional reactivity. Most interestingly, this emotional shift may start 10 years before menopause.
Major hormonal shifts often trigger a variety of digestive issues. Women frequently report increased bloating during this transition. They may also find themselves suddenly dealing with unexpected food intolerances.
When Do Perimenopause Symptoms Usually Start?
Most women in their 40-44 age bracket will experience at least some perimenopause symptoms. Some women in their late 30s are the first to note perimenopause symptoms, though. Early perimenopause symptoms can include:
• Menstrual irregularities
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Breast tenderness
• More PMS
• Sleeplessness
There is no definitive way perimenopause manifests for all women. Perimenopause will come on very slowly, and symptoms will vary greatly as the transition continues.
The severity of symptoms can be linked to factors such as stress, sleep quantity, genetics, and individual behaviours.
How Long Do Perimenopause Symptoms Last?
Perimenopause can take four to ten years. Some women have mild symptoms for a short period of time; others have them more continuously throughout the phase.
Your hormones will be unstable during this time, so the symptoms may disappear for a few weeks, only to return. Good self-care needs to become paramount for your well-being and your body. Sleep, stress reduction and activity should be heavily focused on; your diet and fluid intake will also have a huge effect on your body.
Treatment Options for Perimenopause Symptoms
There isn't a cure-all approach to perimenopausal symptoms. It is usually best when women use a combination of methods. Lifestyle modifications, stress management, and a balanced diet are important. If necessary, seeking professional support is very useful.
Lifestyle Support
Daily habits that promote hormone balance and enhance well-being through perimenopause.
1. Getting enough restorative sleep.
2. Eating whole, balanced meals with protein and fibre.
3. Staying hydrated.
4. Limiting excess sugar and alcohol.
5. Getting consistent movement throughout the day.
Setting consistent daily routines can change your entire emotional state. A lot of people find that if they have consistent days, they have far more energy. Mood is more stable, and the ability to withstand stress is greatly enhanced.
Stress And Nervous System Support
Ongoing stress may worsen:
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Insomnia
Supportive techniques such as:
• Walking
• Yoga
• Mindfulness
• Journaling
• Deep breathing/breathwork
Restorative sleep can support emotional equilibrium through the hormones' ups and downs.
Nutritional Support
Given that nutrient requirements vary with changing perimenopausal status, it is necessary to explore the above nutritional considerations further. Bring these issues to the next appointment with a health care professional and/or nutritionist.
• Hormonal balance
• Sleep
• Stress
• Energy
nutrients such as;
• Magnesium
• Omega-3
• Vitamin D
• B vitamins
• Adaptogenic herbs
A few specific wellness formulas that can complement a healthy lifestyle:
• Snoöze
• So Hormoniöus
• RECLAÏM
• U Got This
• Menomazing
Medical Support
Others may decide to use medical treatment, which can include hormone replacement therapy. To locate appropriate care, an evaluation by a healthcare professional will be needed. Your healthcare provider will first consider your symptoms and comprehensive medical history. Based on that, they will evaluate your overall health to determine which treatment plan best suits your needs.
Women are advised to see a doctor if:
• The symptoms are so severe that they are affecting the quality of life.
• The bleeding is extremely heavy or abnormal.
• Emotional upset is constant.
Aeryon Wellness: Nourish Your Body. Support Your Balance. Feel Like Yourself Again.
Perimenopause can be unpredictable, but it's not a sign that your body has suddenly decided to betray you. Hormonal changes during this stage can cause a wide range of effects. Sleep, moods, energy and digestion will feel "off" in many different and unfamiliar ways. The emotional and cognitive shifts can feel completely foreign to women.
Being informed of the signs of perimenopause is a vital first step to feeling empowered and educated. Lifestyle changes should be small and sustainable to make the largest impact in the long run.
Every woman is entitled to trusted, affordable care in health and wellness. That is the heart and soul of Aeryon Wellness. We are committed to bringing inspiring care to women at every stage of their lives.
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