But what does this mean for women in perimenopause, and what can we do about it?

Research on the hormonal shifts of perimenopause suggests several important things. First, that estrogen and other hormone fluctuations play a meaningful role in how women feel emotionally — and that, like other hormonal transitions across a woman's life, the full picture of her physical and emotional wellbeing deserves attention. Second, that when these experiences go unacknowledged, they can weigh heavily on how a woman feels day to day — which is exactly why taking this stage of life seriously matters.

The research also points to something many women already know in their bones: social and cultural factors are part of this too. Socioeconomic context, past life events, and the way society shifts how it sees a woman as she moves through midlife — less representation, too little understanding from healthcare providers, a general sense of invisibility — all of these shape emotional wellbeing. Newer approaches to mental and emotional health increasingly recognise this, and it's a long time coming.

To learn more, check out the study!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8475932/