Common But Often Overlooked Symptoms

You may not be sweating through your sheets yet, but that doesn’t mean perimenopause isn’t already knocking. These symptoms are common—but rarely connected back to hormones until things get really loud.

• Fatigue: Not just tired. Bone-deep exhaustion, even when you’ve technically had "enough" sleep. This can be due to cortisol imbalances, low progesterone, or disrupted sleep cycles.
• Forgetfulness: Losing your words mid-sentence? Walking into a room and forgetting why? It’s not early-onset dementia—it’s likely estrogen swings affecting your neurotransmitters and short-term memory.
• Irritability and Mood Swings: The kind that feels like you're snapping at your family for no reason, or crying at commercials for laundry detergent. Estrogen, progesterone, and GABA are all in play here.
• Low Libido: Not just physical arousal but also mental desire. Progesterone and testosterone impact libido, and both start declining years before menopause hits.
• Weight Gain: Especially that stubborn, frustrating belly bloat. Even if you’re exercising and eating the same, shifting hormones can cause insulin resistance and changes in fat storage patterns.
• Sleep Troubles: Falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking in the middle of the night drenched in worry or sweat. Progesterone is a natural sedative. When it goes down, so does sleep quality.
• Increased Anxiety: Racing thoughts. Tense chest. Feeling easily overwhelmed. When estrogen and progesterone drop, the nervous system becomes more reactive—and cortisol has free rein.
• Body Changes: Thinning hair, dry eyes, brittle nails, dry skin, weird joint pain. Yes, really. Estrogen receptors are everywhere, including in skin, eyes, and cartilage.

What’s Happening Hormonally (Physically, Emotionally, Mentally)

Physically, your ovaries are winding down—though not gracefully. Ovulation becomes less reliable, which means progesterone production drops. Estrogen doesn’t decline evenly—it spikes and crashes. This hormonal whiplash affects every system.

Emotionally, progesterone normally acts on GABA receptors—those calming, soothing neurotransmitters that help you regulate stress. Without enough progesterone, you may feel more anxious, sensitive, or prone to overwhelm. Estrogen affects serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for joy, motivation, and emotional resilience.

Mentally, estrogen has a direct impact on cognition—especially memory, focus, and verbal fluency. This is why you may feel like your IQ has dropped overnight. But it hasn’t. Your brain is just under hormonal renovation.

Hormonal Timeline from 35 Onwards

Let’s map it out year by year—because it doesn’t all happen overnight:

• 35–38: Progesterone declines first. You might start noticing heavier or longer periods, worse PMS, or difficulty sleeping before your period. You’re still ovulating—just not every month.
• 38–42: Estrogen begins to fluctuate unpredictably. Periods may become shorter, cycles may change, and symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and brain fog become more noticeable. This is peak "I-thought-it-was-just-stress" territory.
• 42–47: Ovulation becomes even more irregular, and some cycles may be estrogen-dominant (high estrogen, no progesterone). You may experience worsening sleep, weight gain, mood swings, or breast tenderness. This is often the most symptomatic part of perimenopause.
• 47–51: Periods may become erratic—long gaps between them or sudden double periods. Estrogen begins a more sustained decline. Hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and night sweats may join the party.
• 51+ (Post-Menopause): After 12 months without a period, you’re officially postmenopausal. Estrogen and progesterone are low and stable—but symptoms may persist or evolve (especially around bone, brain, and cardiovascular health).

The Effect of: Chronic Stress

Think of stress like a hormonal thief—it steals from the same precursors your body uses to make sex hormones. The result? Lower progesterone, worsening estrogen dominance, and higher cortisol.

Chronic stress can:

• Flatten your cortisol curve, making mornings sluggish and nights wired
• Disrupt thyroid function (which makes you feel more tired, anxious, or cold)
• Increase insulin resistance, promoting belly fat and fatigue
• Interfere with GABA and serotonin, compounding sleep and mood issues

Plus, if you’re running on fumes all day, your body isn’t going to prioritize fertility or balance—it’s just trying to keep you upright.

The Effect of: Kids and Childbirth

Motherhood is beautiful—and also biologically depleting.

After pregnancy and breastfeeding:

• Mineral stores like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and B6 are often depleted
• Sleep patterns are wrecked—and may stay that way for years
• Postpartum hormone shifts can leave lasting effects on the HPA axis (your stress-hormone control center)

And the emotional labor? Through the roof. Many women enter perimenopause in their 40s while still parenting teens or young kids, running careers, or caring for aging parents. That’s not just multitasking—that’s maximum hormonal strain.

Why Women Don’t Notice

Because it sneaks in like a ninja.

You assume it’s:

• Aging
• Parenting
• Burnout
• Depression
• “Just life right now”

You go to the doctor and get told it’s “normal.” Maybe you’re prescribed an antidepressant, told to work out more, or just brushed off entirely.

But normal doesn’t mean optimal. And when symptoms show up in clusters—sleep, mood, weight, sex drive, memory—it’s worth asking: Could this be hormonal?

How to Help

It doesn’t need to be dramatic. Start where you are, and build from there.

🔬 Test Your Levels

• Look into salivary hormone testing.
• Focus on estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and thyroid markers

🍳 Eat for Hormone Support

• Aim for 30+ grams of protein per meal
• Include healthy fats (especially omega-3s)
• Reduce blood sugar spikes with balanced meals
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower) to support estrogen detox

🧘🏽‍♀️ Reduce Stress (for Real)

• Daily breathwork, walking, or stretching counts
• Avoid HIIT every day—this can raise cortisol further
• Try journaling, EFT tapping, or adaptogenic herbs

💊 Bioidentical Hormone Support

• Low-dose topical progesterone can help calm the nervous system, support sleep, ease PMS, and balance estrogen
• Work with a licensed practitioner who understands the hormone-brain-body connection

🧠 Mental and Emotional Hygiene

• Normalize talking about this stage of life
• Find a coach, therapist, or support group
• Don’t gaslight yourself—this is real, and you’re allowed to take up space with it