Understanding Perimenopause
- Natasha Hamilton, 43, has revealed that perimenopause and Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition, impacted her confidence and body image, but she’s now learning to embrace aging and love herself again.
- Menopause, which the National Institute on Aging describes as a normal part of aging, typically begins in women between the ages of 45 and 55. Symptoms of menopause include body changes, hot flashes, and aches and pains.
- Perimenopause is the transitional time frame surrounding menopause. A time when a women’s body releases eggs less regularly, makes less estrogen, becomes less fertile, and has shorter and more irregular menstrual cycles, as per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- “Menopause means different things to different people. The average experience begins with sleep disturbances, hot flashes, night sweats, and cessation of periods. The actual medical definition of menopause is more than twelve months of no periods,” Cedars-Sinai Medical Center OB/GYN and oncologist Dr. Bobbie J. Rimel explains to SurvivorNet.
Menopause, which the National Institute on Aging describes as a normal part of aging, typically begins in women between the ages of 45 and 55. Symptoms of menopause include body changes, hot flashes, and aches and pains. Perimenopause is the transitional time frame surrounding menopause. A time when a women’s body releases eggs less regularly, makes less estrogen, becomes less fertile, and has shorter and more irregular menstrual cycles, as per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Read More“I had no confidence. I was almost sabotaging all the hard work I’d been putting into releasing new music as an independent artist. I just lost all confidence in myself,” Hamilton told the Mirror. “I was indecisive and scared. And I’m like, ‘This is not me.'”View this post on Instagram
Hamilton recounted her body changing after giving birth to her fifth child in August 2023.
“I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition that attacks the thyroid and causes hypothyroidism, meaning my thyroid was underactive and not producing enough hormones to regulate my metabolism, energy and mood,” she explained.
For anyone living with Hashimoto’s disease, they experience their immune system attacking the thyroid gland, potentially damaging the thyroid and impacting its ability to make enough hormones. The condition is often treated with medication that replaces lost thyroid hormones.
Addressing the pain she felt across her body, and the changes she felt in her brain, Hamilton said, “It’s not because you’re not living the life you want to live, it’s because your brain’s mangled with hormones and I couldn’t remember anything.
“My recall was so slow and I couldn’t find the right words. I started to feel insecure and embarrassed.”
After undergoing blood tests, she learned she had a low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), which doctors can replace through thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
RELATED: Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy: Do I Need It?
Despite Hamilton’s health struggles, she is determined to live life fully and as confidently as she can.
Following a recent trip to Brazil, Hamilton took to social media to share some photos of herself in a swimsuit, writing, “Life revolves around the beach, and what a life it is. Women of all shapes and sizes wear stunning, tiny bikinis, unapologetically showing off their bodies and carrying themselves with the kind of confidence we all deserve to feel.
“Hitting my 40s has been tough. I had a baby, was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, and now I’m in full swing of perimenopause. Honestly, I haven’t felt like myself for a while now.”
View this post on Instagram
She continued, “My body has changed so much – it’s dropped, softened, and shifted. There are more wrinkles, less elasticity, cellulite, dimples, thread veins…the list goes on. Aging and the changes it brings can be a hard pill to swallow.
I’ve avoided looking at my body in the mirror because, truthfully, I’ve not wanted to see the new me. But that stops now! I’m promising myself to embrace and love every version of me – the super-fit me, the older me, and the future me still to come. I’m tired of wasting so much mental energy worrying about my appearance. If I want to make changes or get fitter, I can. But for now, I just want to live in the moment.”
Hamilton then emphasized that life is too short to spend worrying about what others think, insisting that true confidence comes from embracing and valuing one’s self regardless of judgment.
Expert Resources On Menopause & Body Positivity
She concluded, “This is for anyone dreading their next holiday, worrying about putting their body on show because it’s not what it used to be. Guess what? It’s not supposed to be!
“We age, we evolve, and we grow into more mature versions of ourselves. I’m slowly learning to accept those changes.”
Understanding Perimenopause
According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), “the gradual transition between the reproductive years and menopause (the cessation of menstrual periods) is called perimenopause (literally meaning around menopause”).
“It is generally a transition that is many years long and can be associated with shorter menstrual intervals, irregular menses, night sweats, and other symptoms. In some women, these symptoms are troublesome enough to need medical intervention.”
Meanwhile, when menopause (whether natural or induced) occurs when a woman is 40 years old or younger, it’s dubbed as premature menopause.
“This occurs in about 1% of women in the United States,” the NAMS explains. “Premature menopause that is not induced can be genetic, metabolic, autoimmune, or the result of other poorly understood conditions. Premature menopause should be evaluated thoroughly.”
WATCH: Finding a Doctor Who Can Handle Your Personal Concerns
The Difference Between Menopause and Early Menopause
Menopause is described by the National Institute on Aging, as “a point in time 12 months after a woman’s last period.” Additionally, “The years leading up to that point, when women may have changes in their monthly cycles, hot flashes, or other symptoms, are called the menopausal transition or perimenopause.”
The average age women go through the menopausal transition, which usually lasts approximately seven to 14 years, ranges between ages 45 and 55.
“The duration can depend on lifestyle factors such as smoking, age it begins, and race and ethnicity,” the institute explains. “The menopausal transition affects each woman uniquely and in various ways. The body begins to use energy differently, fat cells change, and women may gain weight more easily. You may experience changes in your bone or heart health, your body shape and composition, or your physical function.”
As for early menopause, the National Cancer Institute says it’s a condition which causes the ovaries to stop working and menstrual periods to stop before a woman turns 40. It’s a transition that can lead to fertility issues and symptoms of menopause.
Additionally, early menopause is split up into two types, primary and secondary. According to the National Cancer Institute, “There are two types of early menopause, primary and secondary. Primary early menopause means that the ovaries do not function normally. This may be because they have been removed by surgery, or it may be caused by some cancer treatments and certain diseases or genetic conditions.
“In secondary early menopause, the ovaries are normal but there is a problem getting hormone signals to them from the brain. This is usually caused by diseases of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. Some women with early menopause sometimes have menstrual periods and may be able to have children. Also called ovarian failure, ovarian insufficiency, and premature menopause.”
Managing Menopause Symptoms
Although menopause is a natural occurrence, there are some things women can do to minimize the impact of menopausal symptoms.
We must first outline some well-known menopause symptoms, which include:
- Menstruation changes
- Hot Flashes
- Bladder control issues
- Difficulty sleeping
- Vaginal health and sexuality changes
- Mood changes
- Body changes
- Aches and pains
The Office on Women’s Health suggests options for dealing with these symptoms.
To help with hot flashes, women may consider hormonal medication or, cooling off with a cold beverage or seeking air-conditioned air. To help with vaginal complications, moisturizers, and lubricants can offer relief. When having difficulty sleeping, consider exercising, avoid eating or drinking immediately before bed, and practice good sleeping habits such as darkening the bedroom and keeping it cool and quiet. To help with mood changes, consider getting enough sleep, minimizing stress, and seeking a support group or a therapist.
“There are certain instances where physicians can prescribe medications that may improve the vaginal dryness, or some other things that may be able to be prescribed, but it very specifically depends on what type of ovarian cancer a patient had, what their outcome was, and their risk of recurrence in the future,” explains Dr. Daynelle Dedmond, a gynecologic oncologist with Centura Health.
“Most of the time, we suggest lubricants for dryness and to help with elasticity of the vagina for more comfort during intercourse. We also want patients to be very deliberate and careful and have good communication with their partner, including about allowing plenty of time to be able to relax,” Dr. Dedmond continued.
Ovarian cancer survivor Araceli Rubi said when she experienced menopause earlier than she could have ever expected, it was a complete shock.
Though her doctor had warned her that she would go into early menopause, “I didn’t know what I was expecting,” says the stage I ovarian cancer survivor from Memphis, Tennessee. Her immediate response was,” ‘Ok, what’s going on? What’s this?’”
When Rubi would wake up in the middle of the night with her pajamas drenched in sweat, she’d call the nurse to ask, “Is this normal?” The nurse responded that night that feelings of intense heat accompanied by sweating in the middle of the night were normal parts of surgery-induced menopause.
Leading Experts Urge Patients to Be Proactive
As we highlight in several areas of SurvivorNet, highly respected doctors sometimes disagree on the right course of treatment for an ailment, and advances in medicine are always creating new options. Also, in some instances the specific course of treatment is not clear cut.
That’s even more reason why understanding the potential approaches to your disease is crucial.
Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions
Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, when seeking care for cancer, some surgeons may have an affiliation with a radiation center.
“So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
Other reasons to get a second opinion include:
- To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of disease
- You have a rare disease
- There are several ways to treat your illness
- You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
- You have trouble understanding your doctor
- You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
- Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
Bottom line, being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.
Advocating for Yourself While Navigating the Medical World
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
