Do I need hormones in perimenopause?

I’ve been doing a deep dive the last few years on hormone therapies and how they may or may not help women going through the menopause transition and the number one question I come back to is “Do I need hormone therapy in perimenopause?”

It depends.

Did you know that hormonal birth control is considered a form of hormone therapy?

There are a lot of voices in the “meno-sphere” talking about how great hormones are for longterm health, but the actual data isn’t that clear cut.  Taking hormones can absolutely help manage the symptoms of perimenopause, but in terms of longterm health benefits… There isn’t much conclusive evidence yet. 

The added complication here is that menopause specialists really treat based on symptoms.  There’s no test you can take that will tell you what hormones you need or how much - it’s up to you to know how you feel and how you want to feel.

I think a lot of women are hoping that hormone therapy will magically fix all the challenging things happening in their lives. The lack of sleep, agitation, anxiety and body changes are enough to drive someone crazy, but the simple truth is that hormones can’t fix burn out, or reduce your stress or take away chronic pain.

Figuring out if and which symptoms are related to perimenopause and which ones are related to things like stress is really about being able to listen to YOUR body.  

There is also the added challenge of navigating changes from the Hormones themselves.  Dialing in the right dosage is a game of trial and error… by the time you get it dialed in something else changes.    

The whole experience can feel frustrating and overwhelming.

It’s easy to blame hormones when things feel bigger than normal, but it’s important to stay present in your lived experience: “Am I upset because of the new medication I’m taking or am I having a very real response to what’s happening in my life?”  If you assume every emotional response or new symptom is a result of hormones you might stop too soon or change dosage too quickly making it harder to get good results with HT.

You also don’t want to suffer endlessly.  Knowing what’s normal, what’s not, and whether you have the capacity to navigate various medication changes and how much time, energy, and money you can put towards that.  It’s an evolving landscape, much as life is, and we’re all just trying to figure out what works best for us.

I recently started Hormone Therapy myself and the biggest challenge is giving myself the time and space to adapt.  On the one hand, I didn’t wait until my perimenopause symptoms felt overwhelming so I still have capacity to navigate the ups and downs of medication changes, but on the other I'm finding I have to temper my expectations for how these medications will make me feel.  It might not be that big of a difference for me right now… or ever.

It’s up to you whether hormone therapy is right or not.  Are your symptoms interrupting your quality of life?  Can you sleep?  Are you aching all the time?  Do you feel like a crazy person?  Then HT might be life changing.  If your symptoms are otherwise mild, you might be fine not pursuing HT.  

Menopause is a natural process after all.

Regardless of which path you choose, there are endless possibilities waiting for you: the transition into menopause is an opportunity to rewrite the script for yourself entirely.  

The brain changes that occur during this period can make it easier to try new things, learn new skills, and achieve a deeper level of mastery in things you love.  Hormone therapy alone might not get rid of your back pain, but YOU can - faster and easier than you could before changes started, because your brain is primed for change.

So I encourage you to see this time of transition and an opportunity to discover more about yourself than ever before.  Learning a new way of being in your body and your self is tantamount to creating a truly fulfilling life. 

If there is any part of you yearning for something new, now is an exciting time to explore.

And if you want guidance and support in exploring what perimenopause is and what it could be, I’m here for you!  Schedule an intro call to get a taste of the truth, freedom and power already inside of you.