Natural Remedies for Premenopause

We're going to dive into natural remedies for premenopause. But first, let me give you a little of my backstory.

Hi, it's me — I'm that person who gave the side-eye to people who told me being pregnant was a magical thing or that when I got my period, I would feel a difference. Listen to me, in my opinion — all those people are damn liars. HA! While I find this to be crazy, I can't but say ... here's what is even crazier: No one is talking about the next chapter of womanhood — perimenopause or premenopause.

In college, I took a course called "Biology of Women" and learned nothing about perimenopause or premenopause. The words never came up. Nobody talks about it and trust me when I tell you this, experiencing this has been way more emotionally and physically taxing than getting my period and being pregnant.

Premenopause? Perimenopause?

So, what's exactly the difference between pre and perimenopause? The prefix "pre" means "before" and peri means "around." Put this together and well, thus begins this fun chapter of your body getting ready for menopause. And before you ask, "Does everyone have the same experience?" Oh hell no — menopause is different for everyone. Every single person.

For example, I am 49 and the "pre" hit me like a ton of bricks — meanwhile, my sister, eight years older, hasn't experienced this life change yet. Indeed, it's true — there is no rhyme or reason with timing (onset or length) and symptoms.

Now that you know where my passion comes for education around premenopause, let's dive into the symptoms and natural remedies for premenopause that can help immensely.

Irregular Periods

As ovulation becomes more unpredictable, the length of time between periods may be longer or shorter, your flow may be light to heavy, and you may even skip some periods.

For me though, my periods were happening every 14 days. Every 14 days. Essentially, this meant I was basically on a hormonal roller coaster every single day of the month. This was just the tip of the iceberg though — my flow was so heavy, I endlessly googled questions like "Can I lose too much blood when I'm on my period?"

Irregularity in everyday life is a lot to deal with, so dealing with irregularity in your own body .... talk about frustrating.

Hot flashes and sleep problems

In addition to irregular periods, hot flashes and sleep problems both pose their own problems.

First, hot flashes are very common during perimenopause. Secondly, hot flashes can vary in intensity, length, and frequency. Women aplenty suffer from sleep problems because of hot flashes or night sweats. Simply because of these two things, sleep can sometimes become even more unpredictable.

My own journey has had me waking up in the middle of the night, absolutely wide awake. Hello 3 a.m. TV commercials, it's me ... Holly! While my sweats were short-lived, I constantly worry about what could be "next."

Mood changes

Mood swings, irritability, or increased risk of depression may also happen during perimenopause. The cause of these symptoms may stem from sleep disruption associated with hot flashes.

However, mood changes may also be caused by factors not related to the hormonal changes of perimenopause.

Vaginal and bladder problems

When estrogen levels diminish, your vaginal tissues may lose lubrication and elasticity, making intercourse painful. Low estrogen may also leave you more vulnerable to urinary or vaginal infections, too. Additionally, loss of tissue tone may contribute to urinary incontinence.

Changes in sexual function

During perimenopause, sexual arousal and desire may change. But if you had satisfactory sexual intimacy before menopause, this will likely continue through perimenopause and beyond.

Brain fog

Brain fog is oh-so-bad to experience. Just imagine, the fog is so bad that you forgot the conversation you had, what you went into the kitchen for, and what you wanted to tell your loved one. For someone who is known to be smart and has a quick wit, I was so frustrated by this one. Heads in the clouds? You bet.

Headaches

Headaches and migraines, oh my. Women experiencing premenopause often report having migraines that come out of nowhere. According to the National Institute of Health, "Clinical observations, supported by epidemiologic studies, suggest that migraine generally worsens during the menopause transition."

Although these migraines can happen at any time, they are most typical around the time of your period. So if you're irregular, you may suffer from constant migraines. If this is what you're going through — I am so, so sorry.

Lack of energy

Suffering from a lack of energy...well, it sucks. Luckily for me, this symptom seems to go come and go in waves. According to Medical News Today, "Fatigue is a common experience during perimenopause...it can happen for a variety of reasons, including changing hormone levels and sleep disruption. People may feel physically or mentally tired, or both. Hormone therapy may help to improve sleep quality and energy levels."

If you're looking for ways to combat having a lack of energy, try sticking to these recommendations:

• Continuously stay hydrated 
• Eat the right foods 
• Establish a healthy sleep routine 
• Exercise daily 
• Get into a relaxation and meditation practice 
• Turn to natural remedies for premenopause 
• Watch caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine use 

Hunger

Recently, Psychology Today filled me on what’s happening with my waistline: “In perimenopause, levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin increase, a reason why many women find themselves frequently hungry during this phase. Levels of the hormone leptin, which promotes a sense of fullness, reduce throughout peri- and postmenopause.”

If this is happening to you, just know you're not alone. Eat intuitively and listen to what your body craves and needs.

Anxiety

I already suffered from anxiety before my premenopause set in, but I know for others that this can be a new experience during this complicated time.  

When I spoke to my gynecologist about this, he told me that this is just a part of life. Do I want to get on the pill to regulate my estrogen? My answer is no. I’m done with all of that. I spoke to my husband, and he said men go through mid-life issues too. 

Listen, my “he” family and friends. When we become pregnant, our bodies are not our own. Our womb becomes inhabited by another individual. Well, this is worse. Much worse. With babies, there’s an end date. You never know how long these symptoms are going to stay and when they’ll come back. This isn’t a situation where “you can’t get it up” and simply take a pill for a quick fix — it’s genuinely debilitating at times.

Why is no one talking about this?

Seriously. SERIOUSLY.

Why does no one talk about this life-changing moment that women experience? Tell me why only Suzanne f’in Sommers seems to talk openly about this type of stuff. Why aren't more celebrities chiming in? Why aren't friend groups shooting the shit about this stuff. Seriously — what the hell is keeping this conversation from being normalized?

So here's the deal, I am a born solution-maker. You got a problem; I have a solution. That's just how I operate. So when all of these symptoms above started making me feel like an invasion of the body snatchers had happened on me, I thought: "How can I make all of this go away without giving in to prescribed drugs?" This is when natural remedies for premenopause became my focus.

I’ve become my own guinea pig to crack the code on all of this. My focus, right now, is getting my hormones in line, getting a handle on my brain fog, and making my mood more manageable.

What I started using three months ago:

• Evening primrose oil: It's an herbal supplement that helps raise progesterone levels in women.
• B vitamins: These vitamins play an important role in the creation and activation of estrogen in the body. Low levels of these vitamins can lead to reduced levels of estrogen.
• Winged Happiness: This has been a life saver! It includes evening primrose oil, chaste tree berry, and black cohosh extract to support hormonal balance. Also, it has 5-HTP and L-Dopa to help with irritability while promoting a positive mood along with full spectrum CBD for anxiety relief.
• Jarrow Formulas PS 100: This helps promote brain function. PS protects against stress-induced activity, reducing the action of cortisol (catabolic stress hormone).
• Vitamin D3: Known to help with immunity, strong bones and teeth (as we get older this is a bigger deal), having optimal vitamin D levels can help improve your mood, boost your overall brain function, and generally improve your well-being.
• Resveratrol: A potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that shows promise in protecting brain cells from damage and helping with arthritis, this is an anti-aging gem!
• doTerra Phytoestrogen: This provides supplemental dietary phytoestrogens that help balance and support normal hormone levels. Send me a message if you want to hear more about this, I can talk your ear off for days about it.

Here is what else I recommend:

• CBDistillery CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture 30ml - 20mg: This is an excellent way to get better sleep.
• doterra ClaryCalm: A proprietary blend of essential oils that provides a soothing and calming effect during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Definitely send me a message if you're interested in this particular essential oil blend.
• Moon + Leaf Cramp Salve-Ation is a full-spectrum CBD salve that helps soothe cramps and backaches.
• Healux PMS Rollerball: Made with full-spectrum CBD, menthol, coconut oil, and a blend of essential oils, this convenient and portable roll-on quickly delivers soothing and therapeutic effects where you need it most.
• Oregon Yerba Mate Certified Organic Loose Leaf Tea, Performance Blend: The ingredients in this tea are incredible. Here's the mix: certified organic, loose-leaf Yerba Maté, organic or wild-harvested ground ginseng, maca, yohimbe, goat weed, wild yam, licorice , and damiana. Even though this is made for a “performance blend,” the ingredients are a menopause dream, especially in the bedroom if you catch my drift.

Can natural remedies for premenopause truly help?

So, since starting natural remedies for premenopause, a lot has changed. I have had regular periods the last two months after a year of having them every two weeks — Praise the LORD! Seriously. Plus, my brain fog lifted. Now I'm focused and talking about endless possibilities like subscription boxes, starting a new podcast, working on more side hustles, and so much more. And finally, I’m sleeping through the night 95 percent of the time. I feel like I have less mood swings, too.

This journey is not easy to embark on, and no woman should have to go it alone. Reach out and tell me what's worked for you, what hasn't, and how you're coping. Let's start speaking up about what women go through during this stage of their life.