You sweat, you cry, you crave sweets, you look older practically overnight, and then there’s that muffin top happening over your belly.
Libido is waning, sleep is elusive, perhaps you feel like you’re going a bit crazy. Or you’re anxious, or irritable. You woke up to a new chin hair.
Could it be hormones?
Yes, my friend, it could be. And probably is.
There are three big hormonal events in a woman’s life: puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. And believe it or not, hormonal changes leading up to menopause start showing up in our 30s. Yeah, it hardly seems fair. We just get through having kids, and then perimenopause comes knocking on our door.
Perimenopause is that time of life when a woman’s body starts moving in the direction of menopause. Because of fluctuating hormonal levels, lots of change is happening in the body (and mind, too, for that matter) as it prepares for the cessation of monthly periods. (There’s a “hallelujah” in there somewhere.)
Menopause is when a woman has been 12 consecutive months without a monthly period. And after that, it’s post-menopause. Menopause is kind of like puberty, but in reverse, and can even involve zits. Gah!
We have a gob of hormones at play in our bodies, and they are all connected. Changing levels don’t happen in a vacuum; they are a suite of hormones that act all together, and changes in one can cause a cascading effect with others.
Commonly we think of estrogen, progesterone and perhaps thyroid or testosterone (yes, ladies have this, too). Two big players that also affect our female reproductive system are cortisol and insulin. Cortisol has to do with our stress response, while insulin has to do with how our bodies process glucose (sugar, basically). So reaching for the Snickers to tame my stress will feel good in the short term (remember the TV commercials with the hangry person eating a Snickers and then calming down?), but it will not be helpful in about 20-30 minutes as the body must process the sugar. Bummer.
The key, then, is to learn how to balance our hormones. Know this, my health-seeking-friend who-wants-to-thrive, I have some great news for you: lifestyle choices can play a big role in helping things go smoothly, or in creating a rough road. Hydration, diet, exercise, stress management, mindset… all these play a part (see my About section to read my story). Tend to your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and they will all thank you.
How about you?
What things have you noticed affect how you feel? What makes you feel poorly, and what makes you feel alive and ready to impact your world? Do share!
P.S. More hormone stuff to come. Keep an eye on my blog. And if you like it, share it. We’ve all got some hormonal sistahs out there.
