How Menopause and Perimenopause Affect Your Hormones

Going through menopause and perimenopause changes several things about your day-to-day life and can cause symptoms that are difficult to navigate. Fortunately, there are ways to manage this condition, especially when you take in the changes they make to your hormones. 

Here at Mind and Body Medicine, LLC, we offer bioidentical hormone therapy, non-hormone therapy, and holistic treatment programs for menopause and perimenopause. Tamara McDonald, DNP, believes it’s important that you not only receive the necessary treatment to make this life change easier but also that you know what’s happening both physically and mentally inside your body.  

The female sex hormones: estrogen and progesterone 

While we consider estrogen and progesterone to be the female sex hormones, every type of body produces them at different levels. Men’s bodies produce less of these hormones, but they still have them. These hormones are also manufactured and used in certain medications, such as oral birth control. 

When you start to experience the symptoms of perimenopause (or the time before menopause, which is marked by not having a period for a full year), the levels of estrogen and progesterone in your body begin to decline. This causes you to produce fewer eggs and have less frequent or spotty periods until you finally stop menstruating altogether. 

Other hormones: FSH and LH 

We often focus on lowering levels of estrogen and progesterone, but it’s important to also recognize that other hormones can increase when perimenopause occurs. Specific hormones that increase in the body during perimenopause are the follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). 

This happens because the body gets the signal that it isn’t producing the regular amount of estrogen. As a result, the body produces more FSH and LH to try to stimulate estrogen and egg production; however, as perimenopause continues, your body is unable to use these hormones, causing them to build up in your bloodstream. 

Effects of hormonal changes — and what you can do about it 

While perimenopause and menopause are natural parts of the life cycle, certain side effects can also occur that are sometimes painful, upsetting, embarrassing, and even detrimental to your mental and physical health. These can range from hot flashes and decreases in sexual appetite to mood swings and mental fog. 

Most of these symptoms are caused by the decrease in estrogen that occurs during the process of perimenopause before your period officially ends. But all the hormonal fluctuations in your body play a part in what you experience during this time. 

The important thing to remember is that while perimenopause and menopause are a part of life, the symptoms associated with them don’t need to be suffered in silence. There are many treatment options such as hormone therapy, non-hormone therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), stress management, herbal supplements, and more. You can also do things at home to manage your symptoms. 

Perimenopause is natural; suffering is not

Just because these symptoms are associated with a natural change going on in your body doesn’t mean you need to grin and bear them. We offer several treatment options that can be used together to manage your symptoms and safely navigate this strange, new time in your life. Don’t go through it alone; let us help. 

To set up an appointment, just call 208-591-6410 or visit us online. In-office appointments at our Boise, ID, office and telehealth options are available.