Know your menopausal symptoms
Alexandra Leon
[Return to previous article - Breezing through to menopause]
Menopause is inevitable, but suffering through perimenopause can be avoided! It’s important to ANTICIPATE the changes your body goes through in order to provide it with the SUPPORT it need for a smooth transition. The first step in preparing yourself for the inevitable is to recognize what is YOUR normal.
Each menstrual cycle is caused by a drop of estrogen. For some, that monthly drop is small, in some others more intense. So PMS symptoms are unique to each individual and so is perimenopause. What you experience during that drop, right before the beginning of your menstrual cycles, portrays how your body reacts to a lack of estrogen. These symptoms will be the same as the ones you will experience during perimenopause. The only difference is that they may appear more often, stay longer, be more intense and won't be followed by a menstrual flow.
For example, if you usually have a hard time sleeping, you feel bloated and emotional right before your period …well guess what! Those will most likely be the symptoms you’ll have to watch out for to recognize the onset of YOUR perimenopause. If you aren’t sure about your premenstrual symptoms, start writing a diary of symptoms. It is imperative that you recognize your symptoms so you can effectively address them. An early discovery of perimenopause means a better chance of limiting symptoms.
