Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the journey to menopause

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Hill says that while some may be able to get through the menopause without hormone replacement therapy, it’s important to take the perimenopause as a window of opportunity. “Scientific literature refers to it as a time we can have lasting influence over our future, and HRT not only helps to manage symptoms in the here and now, but it can also help fend off everything from osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” she says. Nowadays, body identical hormones are used, and they’re identical to the hormones we naturally produce – a fun fact is that they’re also made from yams. Whether you take it in a pill or as a topically-applied gel, Hill is emphatic that HRT can make a huge difference to quality of life, both at the time of use and in the future. It isn’t all doom and gloom! I started my periods when I was 10, and so while I'm only in my mid 30s now, I really wouldn't be surprised if I started perimenopause early too - based on what I've learned about perimenopause recently (and what I've unlearned because what I thought I knew isn't true) I may already be experiencing it. Referring to 30 mins of a certain type of yoga affording the same benefits as 2 hours of deep sleep

Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill | Waterstones

I rarely read non-fiction, but being a health librarian, when I became dimly aware I was perimenopausal a couple of years ago I started trying to research what I was going through. I was horrified by how little factual, unbiased, evidence-based information was out there. There's plenty of new-agey or militant feminist writing about the end of our fertile years, but actual facts rooted in research and lived experience? Not so much. I have been socialised to be good and polite; rewarded for being compliant and kind; trained to desire praise for being a good girl. And I am utterly ill-equipped to express the rage that I feel. It scares me and I fear what happens next I am stepping out of the parameters of my being and inhabiting that anger. I am on fire....I am embracing my peculiarities, moving from self-improvement to self-love. I am standing in the mirror and appreciating everything I bring to the world. I am stepping into my power and owning it like I never have. I am finding my Perimenopause Power."

Three-quarters of women reaching menopause experience symptoms such as mood changes, insomnia, hot flushes, and night sweats, but there is little in the way of evidence-based information out there to help them presented in a way that's engaging and helpful. Women need to recognise that it’s a time of vulnerability, and there are some things that they can do to help.” Mood swings, irritability or increased risk of depression may happen during perimenopause. Sleep changes In retrospect, I think that my then middle-aged mother – dealing with a grouchy teenage daughter, dying parents, marriage problems and an acting career ending because she was no longer young – might have been finding a way to express her feelings without bothering anyone except a supervisor at that paper-towel company.

Perimenopause is a window of opportunity for Maisie Hill: ‘Perimenopause is a window of opportunity for

So as not to call attention to ourselves as women, we pretend it’s not happening.’ Illustration: Hanna Barczyk/The ObserverAnd that was the moment I realised that Jenny the turtle had become my very own paper-towel teddy bear. The average age of the menopause is 51 years. However, perimenopause or menopausal transition occurs in the years before periods stop so is usually from the 40s into the early 50s. This was a really valuable and illuminating insight into the world of the perimenopause, and it just felt so good to read and get to understand what is going on with our bodies!! But here’s what I want to know: why are Generation X women arriving in their 40s knowing something is going to happen, but without a clear idea of exactly what that is?

What you need to know about perimenopause - and how to get

If you are not sure whether you are menopausal, because your contraceptive method has affected your periods, then you can ask your doctor for a blood test called FSH, to be done at any point over the age of 50. If the result is in the menopausal range then you can stop contraception one year after the blood test is done. Everyone should read this book. If you are a woman (or not a cisgendered man), or if you love any women and want to understand what they have to endure, you should read this book.Three quarters of women experience significant symptoms during the perimenopause, yet there is little in the way of evidence based information available. If you are experiencing menopausal symptoms but still having periods, then you are perimenopausal. You can expect to go through this menopausal transition stage for around four years - however, some women can experience anything from a few months to 10 years of symptoms. Maisie Hill is a menstrual health expert with over 15 years of experience as a practitioner, coach, and birth doula. Maisie knows the power of working with the menstrual cycle and believes that our hormones are there to serve us and help us get what we want out of life. The book is full of useful information, and while the thought of menopause might fill you with dread, knowledge really is power. During perimenopause three quarters of women will experience symptoms such as mood changes, insomnia, hot flushes, and night sweats, but there is little in the way of evidence-based information out there to help and guide us. Perimenopause Power is the essential handbook to understanding what the hell's going on and to empower us to improve our experience of the dreaded 'change'.