Most people don’t consider their thyroid in perimenopause. Or they just test TSH and dismiss it when they are told it is fine.
It is a challenging time for many women. The body starts to change, belly fat may start to build up, they may deal with tender breasts and pain, fatigue and stress can be high, and libido starts to diminish.
Let’s look at the real story about your hormones in perimenopause and why you need to consider thyroid health.
Perimenopause can throw a number of different symptoms our way, some minor annoyances, others are life disruptive.
Figuring out exactly what is driving the symptoms is what really needs to happen first, and often medical testing will totally miss suboptimal problems because they are designed to diagnose disease states.
The following symptoms can be due to thyroid, adrenal, blood sugar OR sex hormones;
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Sweating under the arms, back of neck or palms
- Wired and tired
- Sleep issues – insomnia, frequent waking etc.
- Excessive night time urination
- Irritability, low mood, anxiety, zero motivation
- Loss of libido
- Food cravings: carbs, sugar, caffeine or alcohol
- Fatigue
- Forgetfulness
- Weight gain
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Cold intolerance
Figuring out what is causing what requires more sensitive testing than Medicare uses. This is called functional pathology.
Thyroid treatment may alleviate menopausal symptoms
A research study from 2007 showed that women with a thyroid disorder and severe menopause experienced improved symptoms after getting treated for the thyroid disorder. This suggests that treating thyroid disorders can help manage menopause symptoms.
This does not surprise me one bit.
The thyroid hormones are responsible for every cell in our body to function, so it only takes relatively minor shifts in the levels to start to see symptoms.
I often see a change in sleep patterns once thyroid hormones are working better, due to detoxification pathways working more efficiently, which results in less waking around 2:00am.
Weight loss is another perk of improved thyroid function, and this can have a big impact on your sleep if you have sleep apnea, it improves blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation and helps improve digestion in most cases.
Balancing periods
Perimenopause often is associated with changes in the menstrual cycle which can go on for a few years. Some women experience heavy painful bleeds. Others will swing from a light period, to a heavy period and an irregular cycle. Either way, it can be very disrupting and unpleasant. Left untreated, may even need medical intervention such as IUDs, synthetic hormone therapies, or surgery to manage symptoms.
We want to help women avoid unnecessary surgery, and have great outcomes with our protocols to balance hormones, replenish nutrients, and prevent further intervention.
One of the beautiful aspects of natural medicine is using botanical tinctures to help harmonise the body and guide the period back to a better balance. This results in YOU also being in a balanced state of physical and mental health.
Peri-menopause can last for 5 years or more, so don’t plan to ‘wait it out’. Life’s too short! Contact us to get on a road to happy hormones!
Testimonial – Stacey:
“Thank goodness I decided to try this clinic. I had already been to other natural practitioners, but none had the range of diagnostics that the Lucy Rose Clinic uses. I finally got answers to my health issues which have been getting gradually worse over the last 4 years. I am already feeling better than I have in years, lost 4kg and feel like I really can get my life back on track. Thank you!”
