Hormones really do rule our lives. These tiny chemical messengers determine whether you get pregnant, how fast you burn calories, whether you sleep well and pretty much everything from your blood sugar to blood pressure and everything in between. So when hormone levels begin to yoyo in perimenopause, it triggers a domino effect – one that can have a massive impact on how you think, feel and act.
Subtle shifts, particularly to mood, sleep patterns or the consistency of your cycle, are often the first sign of hormonal changes, according to Dr Jasmina Dedic-Hagan, a GP and functional medicine doctor with a special interest in women’s health. “In perimenopause and menopause, your oestrogen and progesterone are no longer