A racing mind, debilitating joint pain, waking up drenched—all of these are symptoms of perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause when sex hormones fluctuate and decline, causing a rollercoaster of biological changes. And it can strike younger than you may think: Though the average age of menopause is 52 in the US, perimenopause can begin several years before that point, sometimes as early as your late 30s.
The tricky thing is, there’s no test to confirm you’re in perimenopause. “Instead, we rely mostly on symptom patterns,” like irregular periods, mood shifts, night sweats, trouble sleeping, or just not feeling like yourself, Stephanie Faubion, MD, medical director of The Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, tells SELF.
While perimenopause is a “universal experience,” Dr. Faubion says, no two women experience it exactly the same way. There are also multiple approaches for treating and mitigating its effects—which can make it hard to figure out what to try first.
If perimenopause symptoms are interfering with your ability to go about your daily tasks, it’s important to consult your primary care physician or ob-gyn on the quickest path to relief for you. That might look like medical interventions, including hormone therapy (HT), or it could be a variety of lifestyle modifications.
Read on to hear from seven women on the remedies that have helped with their perimenopause symptoms, plus expert insights on why they work and how to maximize their benefits.
‘I do Pilates four days a week.’
“As I started to notice changes in my body, I realized I needed to put a little more emphasis on taking care of myself,” Kelly Kaufman, 47, president of the communications agency K Squared Group in Chicago, tells SELF. Those changes included body aches and pains, weight gain, and “stupid injuries,” like pulling a muscle from simply bending over, she says.
So Kaufman started doing Pilates, which she says is the first workout she’s ever done consistently. “It has helped tremendously in not only keeping me somewhat in shape but also helps give me a little more focus and ‘me’ time.” It’s also helped her build strength and improved her sciatica so much that she says she no longer needs physical therapy.
What an expert says:
The estrogen fluctuations of perimenopause “speed up muscle loss and loosen joints,” Heather Hirsch, MD, an internist and menopause specialist, and author of The Perimenopause Survival Guidetells SELF. Hence the random strains and sprains. Pilates can help restore muscle tone, so you’re less likely to get injured, and also boost insulin sensitivity to support your metabolism, she says. Still, she recommends layering on some heavier lifting (for instance, via dumbbells or resistance bands) a couple times a week, if you can, to give your muscles the challenge they need to grow.
