Perimenopause
The transition into menopause that can last anywhere between 2-12 years.
WTF…12 years!
Perimenopause
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Perimenopause 〰️
The period of time in which you still have a Cycle but start to experience Menopausal symptoms.
Most likely to kick off in your 40’s, but not the rule, for some it’s their 30’s.
This can all depend on genetics, overall health, reproductive history, body composition, stress & lifestyle factors.
It can affect your emotional, psychological, physical and mental health.
Some women may not experience perimenopause symptoms at all, kudos to you!
Often thought of as a time of hormone deficiency, particularly estrogen, and the dwindling of eggs and ovarian follicles. Perimenopause is more often a time when estrogen remains high, and it’s often Progesterone that jumps ship first.
Plus hormones just become more erratic and unpredictable, and whatdoyouknow…we feel that way too.
This is happening, for the most part, due to a communication breakdown!
There are multiple factors that play a part in the way your hormones communicate with each other and your reproductive system.
The main organs of communication are the Pituitary Gland and the Hypothalamus Glands and how they talk to the Endocrine and Adrenal Systems.
A series of messages going up & down between the brain to the reproductive organs aka ovaries. Then back up to the brain…
This is a COMPLEX SYMPHONY with a lot of moving pieces.
Our cycle is governed by the brain and organised by the hormonal feedback loop system know as the ‘hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis.
I’ve put together a rather complicated diagram to explain it all a little!
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Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), Estradiol (E2) Progesterone (P), Inhibin (A and B), Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), Mullerian-inhibiting hormone (MIH).
Corpus Luteum: a group of cells that form temporarily in the Ovaries once the ovarian follicle has released a mature ovum during ovulation.