PERIMENOPAUSE & MENOPAUSE
Perimenopause and menopause are natural phases of a woman’s life, but that doesn’t mean they feel easy or straightforward.
Hormonal shifts during this stage of life influences how the body responds to stress, sleep, metabolism, and daily demands, often in ways that feel unfamiliar or difficult to predict.
Common Changes during Perimenopause & Menopause
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Sudden feelings of heat, flushing, or sweating that can interfere with sleep and daily comfort
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Changes in body composition, easier weight gain, or difficulty losing weight despite consistent habits.
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Increased anxiety, irritability, low mood, or emotional reactivity that feels out of character.
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Feeling less resilient to stress, more easily overwhelmed, or unable to cope the way you once did.
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Difficulty falling or staying asleep, early waking, or waking feeling unrefreshed, often paired with persistent fatigue.
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Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, slowed thinking, or mental fatigue.
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New awareness of heartbeat, reduced exercise tolerance, or concerns about cardiovascular health
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Vaginal dryness, discomfort with intimacy, increased irritation, or changes in urinary comfort or frequency.
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Joint stiffness, aches, or concerns about bone strength and long-term skeletal health.
Individualized Treatment Approach at Restore
Step 1: Understanding What’s Driving Your Symptoms
Care begins with a comprehensive assessment focused on understanding how hormonal changes are interacting with other systems in the body. This includes a detailed review of your symptoms, health history, menstrual history (when applicable), sleep, stress load, energy levels, and lifestyle factors.
The goal at this stage is clarity, understanding why certain symptoms are present and which systems are most affected for you.
Step 2: Assessment & Monitoring
Comprehensive laboratory assessment is used to evaluate hormonal patterns alongside key areas that commonly shift during this stage of life, including blood sugar regulation, lipid markers, thyroid function, and nutrient status.
Results are interpreted in context and used to guide care over time, helping to identify contributors that may not be obvious based on symptoms alone and to monitor how the body is responding to support.
Step 3: Support Based on Your Primary Symptom Patterns
Support is then tailored based on the areas most affected for you. This may include:
Addressing Hormonal & Metabolic Changes: Support may focus on stabilizing blood sugar, supporting hormone metabolism, and addressing metabolic shifts that contribute to weight changes, fatigue, and increased cardiovascular risk. Nutrition strategies and targeted supplementation are used to support these processes in a sustainable way.
Supporting Stress Tolerance, Sleep & Nervous System Regulation: Changes in stress resilience and sleep are often among the earliest and most disruptive symptoms. Care may include lifestyle strategies, nervous system support, and acupuncture to improve sleep quality, reduce feelings of overwhelm, and help reduce symptoms such as hot flashes and stress-related disruption.
Managing Energy, Mood & Cognitive Changes: Fatigue, mood shifts, and brain fog are addressed by supporting underlying contributors such as sleep quality, nutrient status, stress physiology, and metabolic health. The goal is improved mental clarity, emotional stability, and sustained energy rather than short-term symptom suppression.
Step 4: Supporting Long-Term Health
Hormonal changes during this phase can influence longer-term health, including bone density, cardiovascular health, and metabolic resilience. Care is designed not only to reduce current symptoms, but also to support long-term health as the body adapts to this transition.
The Role of Hormone Therapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) may be considered when appropriate, following a careful discussion of symptoms, health history, risk factors, and personal preferences. Hormone therapy is never automatically prescribed and is not required in order to receive care.
How Care Evolves Over Time
Support during perimenopause and menopause is not static. As symptoms, priorities, and physiology change, care is adjusted to remain appropriate and supportive. Ongoing review allows care to stay aligned with both short-term symptom relief and long-term health goals.
PERIMENOPAUSE & MENOPAUSE
Frequently Asked Questions
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Perimenopause refers to the transitional period leading up to menopause, when ovarian hormone levels fluctuate. During this time, symptoms can be unpredictable and may change from month to month. Menstrual cycles may become irregular, change in flow or timing, or remain regular despite the presence of other symptoms.
Menopause marks the end of this transition and is defined as having no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months. At this stage, hormone levels are more consistently low rather than fluctuating. Some symptoms may stabilize, while others related to metabolism, bone health, or cardiovascular health or brain health may become more prominent.
Because perimenopause and menopause involve different hormonal patterns, care is tailored to where you are at.
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No. Hormone Therapy can be helpful for some individuals, but it is not appropriate for everyone. Decisions around hormone therapy are based on symptoms, medical history, risk factors, preferences, and stage of transition.
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Yes, of course! Many women benefit from non-BHRT approaches. There are numerous evidence-informed strategies such as nutrition support, movement guidelines, nervous system regulation support, targeted supplementation, and acupuncture therapy that have been shown to help improve symptoms related to sleep, stress tolerance, mood, and metabolic health during perimenopause and menopause.
Care is always individualized, and hormone therapy is never required in order to achieve meaningful results. The focus is on supporting the body’s adaptive capacity during this transition in a way that feels safe, sustainable, and aligned with your preferences.
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Perimenopause most commonly begins in the mid-to-late 40s, but for some, it can start as early as their late 30s. However, experiencing symptoms similar to perimenopause does not necessarily mean it’s perimenopause. Seek support from a qualified healthcare practitioner to get to the root.
