Is this perimenopause?
You’re smart, capable and usually on top of things.
So when your body and brain suddenly start acting like strangers, it’s unsettling - and a bit frustrating.
You might be wondering: “Is this just stress…or is this perimenopause?
Lets walk through what I see all the time working with women.
What actually is perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the long, often bumpy phase leading up to menopause (your final period). It can last anywhere from a few years to over a decade.
Your ovaries don’t suddenly “switch off”; hormone levels – oestrogen and progesterone – fluctuate wildly before they eventually decline. That hormonal rollercoaster is what drives so many of the symptoms women are never really warned about.
You are not being dramatic. Your biology has changed – and your brain and body are simply responding.
Common signs women ignore
Perimenopause doesn’t always arrive with hot flushes and brain fog first. In fact a lot of the women I work with come to me saying “I don’t think it’s hormones - my cycle is still regular.”
Some early signs can be:
You wake between 1–3am and can’t get back to sleep, even though you’re exhausted.
Anxiety or low mood (and you don’t know why), or your “baseline” anxiety ramps up.
PMS symptoms (headaches, low mood, breast tenderness) are new/worse.
You’re more reactive – snappy, teary, less tolerant of everyone’s needs.
Your periods are changing: heavier, longer, shorter, or closer together.
Worsening bloating or gut symptoms around your period.
New aches and pains, especially in joints, that don’t match your training load.
If you’re nodding along to several of these, it’s not “all in your head”. Your hormones are talking.
Is it hormones or just stress?
I know this feels like a non-committal answer: it’s often both.
Stress affects your hormones, quality of sleep, gut and your mood. As your hormones start to shift, this affects how you respond to stress.
“Everything is connected, which is why it can feel so messy".”
Some subtle clues that it may be perimenopause playing a role in how you feel:
You’re 35+ and noticing some new patterns in symptoms/your cycle.
Those symptoms track with your cycle (for example - worse before your period or mid-cycle). I’ll guess you usually feel your best in the first 2 weeks after your period starts.
Things that ‘used to work’ - food/sleep/energy don’t touch the sides anymore.
There’s no obvious reason - but you feel different (body/brain).
This is a time to notice patterns, track them and get curious - rather than just pushing through in silence.
Why your symptoms can be brushed off
Many women I see have already been told:
“Your blood tests are normal.”
“You’re too young for perimenopause.”
“It’s probably just stress – try to relax.”
On paper, their results can look “fine”. Hormones are tricky things though - they change constantly. Oestrogen can fluctuate wildly, and once you’re in perimenopause in the months you ovulate (release an egg), you may feel like you’ve returned to a ‘normal’ cycle, only to feel awful the next month.
If you’ve felt dismissed or unsure, you’re not difficult or needy. The system just isn’t set up to proactively support women through this phase – yet.
“If you’ve felt dismissed or unsure, you’re NOT difficult or needy. The system just isn’t setup to proactively support women through this phase - yet.”
So now what do you do?
Perimenopause is not a sudden event you cross off a list at 51.
It’s a multi-year transition that can start earlier than most of us were told and touch almost every part of how you feel day to day. Your symptoms are real, and they have a biological explanation: erratic oestrogen and falling progesterone, acting on a body and brain that are already carrying a lot.
The goal is not to “tough it out” or pretend nothing’s changing. The goal is to understand what’s going on so you can support your body on purpose – with food, sleep, stress support, movement, medical options where appropriate, and realistic changes that fit your life, not someone else’s ideal routine.
If you read this and it’s made sense, I hope it makes you feel better to at least understand.
This is the work I do every day: helping women make sense of their symptoms. Teaching practical, evidence-informed tools so they can move through perimenopause feeling resourced,
You deserve to feel like yourself again – a you who is informed, supported, and able to navigate this next chapter with more clarity and less chaos.
TL;DR: Too Long Didn’t Read
Perimenopause is a long hormonal transition that often starts in your 30s, not a sudden cliff you drop off at 51. The 3am wake-ups, new anxiety, rage, brain fog, and shifting periods are common signs of fluctuating oestrogen and falling progesterone, not you “losing it.”
You often won’t get clear answers from blood tests alone, which is why recognising the pattern of your symptoms, in the context of your age and history, matters so much.
If this feels uncomfortably familiar, that’s information – you’re allowed to trust your body and get support so you can feel like yourself again.
Are you struggling to get a good night’s sleep? I can help you with simple tools and a strategy that works. A good night’s sleep changes EVERYTHING.
Using research-backed diet, lifestyle and change strategies, I teach my clients how to manage stress, energy and modify their lifestyles to support their goals.
If you want to know how I can help you, book a free consult.
