Understanding Perimenopause Changes

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Welcome to the Uncomplicated Perimenopause Podcast .

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I'm Kate Grosvenor , your friendly perimenopause expert and life coach , and I'm Gabriella Kate's daughter , representing all the women who are nowhere near perimenopause but want to understand it better .

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Whether you're just starting your perimenopause journey deep into it . Better , whether you're just starting your perimenopause journey deep into it or you're a loved one trying to support someone who is we've got you covered .

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We'll be answering all of your burning questions , exploring the ups and downs , and sharing expert advice and personal insights .

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So grab a cup of tea , get comfy and let's dive into the wonderful . Get comfy and let's dive into the wonderful , sometimes wild , world of perimenopause together .

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And remember , no matter where you are on your journey , you are not alone .

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Welcome to the Uncomplicated Perimenopause . Hello , my darlings , and welcome to episode eight of season two of the Uncomplicated Perimenopause Podcast . My name is Kate Grosvenor . I'm a prayer menopause expert and life coach .

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And I'm Gabriella Grosvenor , Kate's daughter , here to learn with you all .

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And we're just hoping that you don't develop a very strange lisp halfway through .

Speaker 1 1:17

Yeah , I was just going to say I am lisping a little bit .

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So we're recording it later on in the week , this week , because you've you bless you you've had a very severe tooth infection . Yes , and my wisdom tooth dead face , lacking wisdom .

Speaker 1 1:30

I've already removed two , so you're gonna be a bit like by the end of the week . I don't know . I'm gonna carry on the rest of my life ?

Speaker 2 1:37

no , no wisdom teeth at all yeah but fortunately it has nothing to do with it . So we're all okay . Yeah , I do in this , I in this cold , though I think we all turn a bit lacking yeah .

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It's hard . January's not doing it for me . January's hard . Everyone knows Everyone's broken January like recovering from .

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Christmas . I'm not broke . I'm broken , I'm just cold .

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I don't enjoy it , but the snow has melted . The snow has melted .

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The snow has melted and now it's mushy . No , it's gone . No , but it's . It was mushy yesterday . No , but it's Okay . It's slushy . No , it's gone . No , the ground is slushy . Oh , it's muddy . Yeah , it's horrid , don't like it .

Speaker 2 2:13

I don't want to annoy people that are I was going to say south of the border and I don't want to annoy people in Lancashire . But I did see a really , really funny post on Facebook the other day that said it was like a dig at Lancashire because you know the War of the Roses , yorkshire versus Lancashire . And actually , manchester , we love you because you're our number one city , so we do love you , manchester . But it was quite funny because it was like a Manchester ice cream and it was a Manchester slushy and it was just basically a whole pile of sludge in an ice cream cone , because manchester is very , very well known for being , um , a rainy city .

Speaker 1 2:48

I have been to manchester three times in the last month and twice that it said no . Four times , three times it said it wasn't going to rain and it did anyways .

Speaker 2 2:57

It always rains when you go to manchester and it and scott will always tell me , my partner always tell me it's something to do with the , the something , something and it's open , it's on the something coast and and the rain from the water , from the something and I go , it just rains it just rains , mate , you don't need to know why it just rains .

Speaker 2 3:14

Yeah , it's like we always get the snow in yorkshire . We all , everyone else go . Oh , I , I wish , I , I wish it's no , no , you don't wish it snows . You say you wish it snows until you get to the point where you're trying to dig a car out and you're late for a meeting in the school run and snow is lovely when you have nowhere to go and you just watch Harry Potter all day yes , and you're indoors with an open fire , looking out snow is so beautiful and where we live , obviously in the middle of nowhere , it's glorious , glorious , it's glorious , it is , unless you have to be somewhere and then it's wait .

Speaker 2 3:46

What county is manchester ?

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in lancashire . Who is ?

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it . So we're literally the war of the roses , because we're white rose and they're red rose . You can't say that they're our number one . No , I do like manchester .

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Manchester actually is my favorite it is you do .

Speaker 2 3:58

Actually , I've always liked manchester .

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I think it has such a good balance of everything City life , city girl .

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Yeah me , no , I'd actually quite like to live in . My dream house is actually a castle in the middle of Scotland , in nowhere near anything . Why ? Because I just want peace , peace and quiet .

Speaker 1 4:19

Got one neighbour . One neighbour too many . They're lovely .

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They don't . I'm the loud neighbor in this . You are . You're the problem .

Speaker 1 4:26

It's you , it is me they must hear me on the phone in the like on the phone in the garden I think you're a bloody woman .

Speaker 2 4:33

I'm a gypsy . What can I say ? People are now very confused because you're known to be loud . No , no , who's known to be loud ? You , you , you .

Speaker 1 4:43

You are known to be loud , not us , there's many listeners in egypt and they would agree with loud you , you , you . You are known to be loud , not us . There's many listeners in egypt and they would agree with me you are loud we are charismatic , we are funny , which describes me . You are loud . I've gotten so much better , though you have to be fair .

Speaker 1 4:56

I used to be loud yes , but I'm just a lot more semi semi loud , demi semi loud I think Rowan's the loud one when she's here . You're all loud , I'm not , I'm chilled , mummy , I'm peaceful .

Speaker 2 5:11

Anyway , we digress . What is the question for today ? I picked this one for a specific reason . Say that , one with a lift .

Speaker 1 5:18

Specific reason Because um fuck it Briella , forget it tmi . I am also on my period , so I just thought are we talking about periods , jolly ? Good , lovely . So this question is from emily , it's gonna be a very long podcast , hi , emily in ireland hi hi , emily in ireland , so she's 45 . Okay , she says my periods have been unpredictable over the last year and it feels like my body just has a mind of its own . Yeah , yeah , yeah , standard . Sometimes they're super heavy and last for ages and other times I'll skip a month altogether .

Speaker 1 5:56

Yeah , it's not just the physical side that affects me , but the emotional rollercoaster is just exhausting . Yep , and it's hard to plan my life in advance when I don't know when I'm supposed to expect surely ? Period . Is this normal ? Yes , perimenopause , yes , and if so , how can I manage these changes and not let them take over my life ?

Speaker 2 6:14

okay , yes , completely normal , utterly normal , and I don't know the answers . You want to know the answer as well . Okay , so , completely normal . As you go kind of mid to mid perimenopause onwards and you're coming towards the menopause era , very , very normal , um , one of the main characteristics of kind of mid perimenopause onwards is the unpredictability of your periods . Not everybody , but the vast majority of women , will find that their periods just become a bit wappy , um , shorter together , further apart , getting heavier , getting lighter . It's all very , very normal . That doesn't mean it's fun , but it's very , very normal . Some women find that their periods change in the same way every month , in that their periods are just getting lighter and lighter and lighter , or closer and closer and closer , and some women , like poor Emily here , just find that they're just going bonkers . So what's happening is that your hormones you'll be obviously not shocked to hear , um , and and we're talking about estrogen and progesterone , we're talking about these two , yes , and your good old favorites but wait , sorry , before you carry on .

Speaker 1 7:23

Yeah , isn't periods when you produce more testosterone , when you're on your periods ?

Speaker 2 7:28

You don't get them confused . I am no ,

Navigating Perimenopause Hormonal Changes

Speaker 2 7:32

leave that alone .

Speaker 2 7:32

What we're talking about here is you're surging , your oestrogen and your progesterone are the ones that are responsible for releasing an egg , and then , if the egg isn't used , releasing the egg from isn't used it's not it's not needed this month , darling , and then make preparing the , the lining of the womb for you , getting the egg ready and then , if it's not used , shedding the lining of the uterus , the womb , and releasing the egg so that it comes down and forms as a period . Right , that's all well and good in a normal cycle , when you're , when you're not in perimenopause , and when you don't , when you're not pregnant . That's how it would normally work . Now the thing is that , as we've talked about lots of times on the podcast , your , your estrogen is going to fluctuate up and down through perimenopause and through your cycle , but your progesterone is also going down as well . So in any one month your progesterone is the one that helps to release the egg and say we're not needed . But if your progesterone is low , that , if your oestrogen is low , that month your progesterone might be trying to get rid of , like saying , oh , we're going to release the egg and but you , your , your um eastern , hasn't actually released an egg to .

Speaker 2 8:47

So they can vary month by month . Yeah , which one's higher , which one's lower , and this is that , here in life , the problem . So in a normal cycle they'll be in perfect balance and lovely harmony . So one produces the egg and the other gets rid of the egg and all is , all is well with this gorgeous glorious flow of cycle . But suddenly you might have Eastern dominance , so you might end up with this really heavy period . And then other times you end up like you're seemingly so far apart because you're just not producing this egg . And then other times you end up with this really , really heavy one and it's just this roller coaster , because you might have a surge of hormones which gives you a heavy period . And it's just this roller coaster because , um , you might have a surge of hormones which gives you a heavy period and prolonged period . The next month you might not ovulate at all and you're gonna skip a period , and you're , and what ? You might not ovulate at all , so and no egg might be released . Wait , wait , hold the phone what does that mean ?

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what do you ?

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mean what I've only ever in my life skipped one period .

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It just didn't happen yes , so you didn't ovulate how , how , how , how , how .

Speaker 1 9:54

How does that work though ?

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so you didn't ovulate , so your eastern levels dropped to the point where you're . You did not release an egg that month what happened ? I don't know , I wasn't , I wasn't , I didn't ask . That's crazy . But this is the point of hormones , your hormones , you have to have enough . So there's . We're going to go way off track if we start talking about lutealizing stimulant and fs and follicle stimulating hormones and these things . But those are the hormones that tell your body to release an egg they tell them okay yeah , it's , it's a whole messaging system .

Speaker 2 10:29

We'll talk , we'll talk , okay , so I forget I can talk to you , not just on the podcast , you get access to me 24 , 7 and so , the point being that your body starts playing its own guessing game . So . So some might be heavy , some might be further apart , sometimes it skips all together . That's its own story . But these hormones don't just affect your cycle . They affect your emotional ups and downs , and this is where the roller coaster can come in One minute you're fine , and then , seemingly the next minute , you're , you're , you're , you're on this roller coaster and you're in tears and it's exhausting . So I hear Emily . When Emily turns around and says I , I can't plan my life around these changes . I , I hear you , I really hear you . It's , it's like your body's got a mind of its own . So what we need to help Emily with , and so many of the listeners , is how do we find ways to help them get back some control ?

Speaker 1 11:24

and even like how do they prepare in terms of , like you don't want to ruin your underwear ? Do you know like , at my age , I can almost see what dates I'm gonna start ? So I don't have to wear black yeah so there's this .

Speaker 2 11:35

there's different things you've got to do , so you've got to help yourself manage your cycle , and then you've got to help yourself manage practical element of it , okay . So , when we look at managing the changes , first , number one is start tracking your cycle , okay , okay so , because before it was tracking your cycle , as in every 28 days I'm due for my period . You're not going to be doing that . You're going to be looking for patterns , yeah , okay so the pattern may be no pattern . Yeah , or the pattern may be they're getting further apart but you will start seeing a pattern . So start by tracking your periods . You can use an app , you can use a journal .

Speaker 1 12:12

There's a really good app I've used this since I started clue okay best period app . And if you , this is like , sorry , shameless , like plugging this up , but if you pay um seven pound , it's 29 pounds a year . With the app that also gives you um like a like , analysis of like , just it predicts everything for you in advance and it tells you why you missed it . This then it'll read all your patterns , basically , but you can also get it for free . Okay , clue best one , fill in every time you're on your period , fill in the details . Amazing , and it will like . It will predict when your next period is , based on all the information that you've put in let's see if it's good for paramenopause wounds .

Speaker 1 12:56

See if it doesn't it does have an article about paramenopause there .

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Have a look at apps like clue or journal it . Although it may not make your periods more predictable , it will help you notice the patterns or the triggers . So , for example , in perimenopause , stress is a big plays a big role because our bodies will always um , we cortisol is a big issue in perimenopause . Stress is a big issue in perimenopause . Stress is a big issue in perimenopause . It can go out of control .

Speaker 2 13:33

Stress cortisol is our stress hormone . It is produced in the same place as progesterone . Progesterone is the one that helps to release an egg , to release the egg from the womb lining , and it's also the hormone that makes us feel calm and makes us feel relaxed and is very important for us to feel less wired . But it's produced in the same place , from the same area as cortisol , which is our stress hormone , and there is something called protreanin steel . Now the problem is is , if our body is busy making cortisol , we can't make as much progesterone , so we end up in estrogen dominance very , very bad for us . So , um , we might end up with way too much estrogen or we might end up in a very weird kind of hormonal pattern because of stress . If you track things like stress or your diet . I know that where I am in my menopause because I'm 51 this year that sugar plays havoc with my hormones always has , always will . It's getting worse .

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So eating too much sugar has an impact on my neuralgia has an impact on my hormones , has an impact on my sleep , and it's a shame , because I love sugar , I love chocolate you don't have periods anymore , do you ?

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I don't have periods , but it but it makes me feel hormonally off balance yes and it does with your neuralgia and it has an impact on my neuralgia , it has an impact on my sleep . So tracking those symptoms will give you an insight into what's going on . Also , it's worth thinking about supporting your hormones . So there's a way to support your hormones through things like balancing your blood sugar . So if you ate and I hate doing this because it's , I feel like a grim , you know person my day but eating 30 grams of protein at every meal will help to balance your blood sugar . Eating three meals a day will help to balance your blood sugar . Staying away from refined sugars will help to don't shoot the messenger .

Speaker 2 15:46

I mean I always thought yeah , yeah , no , no , it actually is true , I think that my age , I think I know , and I just I just hated people that talked about it because I always used to think , well , it's all right for you , and you're putting like really healthy kind of yogi that hugs trees and eats nut butter and it blah , blah , whatever . And it's so true and I really wish it wasn't . I really wish the answer was to eat donuts and eat chocolate and sleep in and watch netflix . I wish that was the answer . Burger a day yeah , like why is the answer not eat burger ? And ? And like , drown yourself in crisps and oh , mommy , do you know what I mean ? That's never the answer and it's just such a . Anyway , but if you eat protein and healthy fats and fiber and stay away from too much coffee , caffeine and sugar , and alcohol .

Speaker 1 16:35

Yeah , yeah , all the fun stuff . All the fun stuff . That was funny .

Speaker 2 16:38

But it really will help you . Yeah , it will negate the ups and downs , the emotional ups and downs . We don't ever correlate it because we feel like I don't know why I feel so emotionally unbalanced today . A lot of it , unfortunately , is because our blood sugar goes like spikes , then crashes , and it takes our emotions with it . The smoking no , smoking is a stimulant . It doesn't have the same impact unless you're trying to quit , and then you know what , how that feels and which you successfully did full .

Speaker 1 17:09

Yes , highly recommend to quit , but don't take a week off work yeah , go nowhere .

Speaker 2 17:14

Come to my house and I'll help you through it . Yeah , um , but but yes , stress and diet are two things that they will have a massive impact on your hormones how , how your hormones feel regulated , um , and taking care of them will help you on your hormonal journey in to a huge extent . Yeah , and the the hits just keep on coming , because if you exercise I'm sorry , just gentle movement , though , I'm not talking about hip workouts , I'm talking about yoga , because I know you are a big yogi .

Speaker 2 17:48

I am a big yogi , but walking yoga works wonders . It helps to regulate your hormones , it helps to manage your stress , it helps improve your mood . If you , if you , every time that you wanted to like stick your head in a vat of chocolate which is a feeling I get most days you actually did 10 minutes of yoga , your life would change can I ask you this and this is like a bit it's weird to ask my mom , but you know they say like having sex , yes , a good workout , and stuff like that it's not that good a workout , oh right , okay , it depends how you're

Speaker 2 18:19

doing it you lose a lot of calories you don't use ? You don't actually use that many unless you're like swinging from the rafters .

Speaker 1 18:25

To be fair , you use some so sex would not be a good . It's not good enough it's okay .

Speaker 2 18:32

Okay , it depends how vigorous you are and how many different positions you're getting yourself into . Just being honest , I mean , I asked the question , you asked the question , you get what you asked for , uh , it's , it's okay , but you're not being that sustained and that you know . It's probably better at your age than it is

Practical Advice for Perimenopause Women

Speaker 2 18:52

ours . However , it's about the thing about yoga is it's intentional , it's mindful , you're in a different head space . You're becoming that you . It's the flow of yoga . I mean , you can't I don't really want to embarrass you , but you can get into flow during sex if you're with the same partner and you both are in that comfortable mindful state . Facts , facts .

Speaker 2 19:17

No , you can I agree Genuinely , but it's Okay . Yeah , it's , you really have to . Just if you were having sex every day , it would . It would be enough to to to . Would it be considered exercise ? Yes , it would . If you had . If you had at least 10 minutes of reasonable sex every day , would it be considered exercise ? The thing is , is a woman in perimenopause like to have sex every day ? Doubtful , yeah , quite frankly , because we're more like to stab our husbands in the eye than have sex every day . Sorry , something to look forward to , yay , funsies . Um , consider supplements , and you know I'm not gonna get go anywhere without talking about supplements , because my life has changed as you should .

Speaker 2 20:01

Um , magnesium yeah , vitamin b complex massively important during this time um , those two together . Magnesium complex , because it's going to help with muscle relaxation . So the magnesium complex that I always recommend is obviously our one , but because it's got magnesium , malate taurate and glycine in and what those three are going to do is going to help you to to relax your muscles , relax your um anxiety and help you to sleep . So those three are going to be really helpful . And a vitamin b complex as well . It's going to help you to sleep . So those three are going to be really helpful .

Speaker 2 20:36

And a vitamin b complex as well is going to help you to balance your hormones . So those two supplements together I would highly recommend , just to help you feel more balanced and consider if hrt is the right fit for you , because it can help you through this . Now some women will say that because their hormones , because they're finding the periods and the lack of predictability so difficult to tolerate , they might decide to go on the Mirena coil , because what the Mirena coil will do is to release the steady flow of progesterone , so you will not have any periods . Some women are like no , I don't like the idea of not having periods and I feel that's not natural .

Speaker 1 21:18

It's a 50 because I have that coil and they told me you probably won't have periods , but I always still did I have the , I have the coil and I don't have any periods , so that just depends on the woman . Yep , oh , okay so yeah , it's , it's .

Speaker 2 21:34

Some women opt for that one .

Speaker 1 21:36

And the doctors can't predict prior if you're going to have .

Speaker 2 21:39

but they did tell because I've had two now but you might not , but you're oestrogen dominant because you have endometriosis , so you are already in a state of oestrogen dominance . And don't forget , oestrogen dominance means so when you're taking the , so a normal person I don't mean that in a disrespectful , disrespectful manner , but because you have a lot of estrogen , your progesterone , that they're giving you a low level of progesterone to balance out the estrogen . So that's why you still have your periods to make from extreme estrogen to they're balancing it out . Somebody who doesn't have , who has a regular amount of estrogen , yeah , yeah yeah um , it would be enough to to make it more balanced .

Speaker 2 22:18

It . Does that make sense ? So consider hrt if that's an option that she wants for emily . Um , and the other thing is to prioritize rest and self-care . It's not indulgent , it's vital , really . Really is meditation , warm baths or even just saying no . No is a full sentence and saying no to things that you don't want to do , that don't feel right to you right now , that don't serve you um , that aren't essential . Anything that you feel is draining is non-essential , highly recommended in perimenopause .

Speaker 2 22:49

You learn to say no yeah it's just just give yourself a treat like this is the time where you learn to as a treat to yourself . This would be the first time in your life that you learn to just go .

Speaker 1 22:58

Nope , it's a good feeling .

Speaker 2 23:01

Oh , it's the best it's amazing , it's a blessing , and if you've never learned to do it before , this is the time you learn to do it .

Speaker 1 23:08

Okay , just absolutely learn to do it , yeah .

Speaker 2 23:11

So what about practical , practical stuff ? Um , as in practical , practical , practical stuff , yeah , um , buy yourself some period knickers . Yeah , they're amazing , they are so comfortable they are they are super duper comfortable . So , um , obviously we have some in the lifestyle brand .

Speaker 1 23:30

That was one of the most important things um , honestly , not shameless plugging here Worth the investment Really , really , really worth it ?

Speaker 2 23:37

You gave me one and they are and booty always have like the softest things anyways , and it just .

Speaker 1 23:43

They're so comfy it really is an amazing option . I mean thing is , and they reach if you have periods .

Speaker 2 23:49

Yeah , well , here's the thing I don't have periods and I still use them when I'm going to be out for the day . Why ? Because weighty am I , that's okay . But women , when you get even further through the perimenopause , sometimes you have a leaky bladder . So if I'm , if I don't know where the loos are , yeah , and I'm because I just I'm at that age now where it's like , if I'm , if I'm like slightly late , or I can't excuse myself and I'm going to run to the loo and I might just leak a little bit .

Speaker 2 24:15

So period knickers means that I'm never embarrassed because if I leak a little bit , it doesn't matter . Just sneeze , laugh , cough , can't find the loo in time . None of it matters , because the period knickers means it's all completely absorbed . They're so comfy as well . They're like , we do them in all different . We do them different weights , so you can get heavy period knickers , medium period knickers . We do them in different sizes . I love the big granny ones . I'm not ashamed to say it , my name is kate and I love big knickers . Um , I do wear g-strings as well . I'm one of those either or I'm like a big knicker or a g-string type of a girl .

Speaker 1 24:49

Okay , um , I'm not , but yeah yeah , I think when I , when I like , get pregnant , that's all . I'm gonna wear big knickers , period knickers specifically . Oh , because I have a . I can't I sneeze and I leak and I I've not can't remember the last time I jumped , because every time I go on a trampoline that was game over . We need to talk about um pelvic floor exercise at some point . But like exercises , they I'm the same every time like I sneeze when I'm on my period and I've exercise they I'm the same every time like I sneeze when I'm on my period . And I've got the , I'm fine , I'm fine . Like I'm so good , I am good , it is okay .

Speaker 2 25:23

No , shame , cool no , but they are gorgeous and because they're bamboo like I've got , I've got to the point now with the bamboo stuff because I , you know , I always bamboo pajamas and knickers right and bamboo knickers that's all I wear , but I can't even be bothered to wear anything . That's not like . I won't even wear a non-bamboo vest . Yeah , like I've got some marx and spencer's cotton vests and I put them on . I'm like , oh it's so uncomfortable .

Speaker 1 25:45

You gave me a lot of them .

Speaker 2 25:46

Yeah , I gave you all my , my marx and spencer's vests because it's just , it's just not , it's just not , it's just not doing it . Yeah , I can't do it .

Speaker 1 25:53

I can't be bothered . They're so chic , yeah , but just ugh . No , no , like the bamboo stuff . Oh , I just love them so chic .

Speaker 2 25:59

I love them . Jenna got some for Christmas . Oh , you all did . Yeah , can't be bothered to know Sorry , we've gone off on one what we're saying . Yeah , so really , really worth the investment and it's just . You can get little , you know , you can keep little pouches and just I have this thing with handbags .

Speaker 2 26:17

You know I love a good handbag and I look after my handbags , like I have some older than me . I do have handbags on you , but I'll only buy a good one every five , ten years and I'll take beautiful care of them . But I have hand , I have handbag savers in all of my handbags and I'll you know . So I'm like you can move them back to back . So it's worth investing in like a handbag saver where you just take the same handbag saver from back to back and just have a little pouch with some goodies in , you know , and have a little thing with your essential period things in and just move it every day . Absolutely fine . And but if you think you might be , this is where the tracking comes in . If you think you might be , this is where the tracking comes in . If you think you might be around , or about just period , knickers are practically very , very good Question . Yes .

Speaker 1 27:02

You know this might also be a my age thing , but you know like we can kind of sense when we're going to become on our periods because the boobs your boobs will hurt . So is it not the same for women and people ?

Speaker 2 27:09

It is . But we can get sore boobs at other times as well , because sore boobs is a real oestrogen thing and because our oestrogen is so fluctuating . Right , we can get sore boobs without necessarily having a period cramps . Maybe not so much , but it depends , because some women maybe have got fibromyalgia . We do get cysts as well in perimenopause .

Speaker 1 27:27

It's just a whole so it's a little bit more difficult .

Speaker 2 27:29

It's a little bit more to separate the the the issue . So , um , and I also I think , practically , I think the mindset shift is something I think you have to , um , shift away from a loss of control to just a phase of transition . Just understand , this is just a transition . It's not your body working against you , it's just your body transitioning to a new chapter . So it's not , you're not in a battle , it's not a war , it's not you against your body , it's not us . Again , you know , type of thing , and I know that sounds dramatic , but I remember feeling quite angry like what is it doing now ? Type of thing . Trust me , on the other side is freedom . So you want to go through this , if that makes sense .

Speaker 2 28:16

When you get to menopausal age , there is a lot of things that you get to do again , and I'm enjoying being 51 . I'm enjoying my life . I get to have a lot of things back again . There is a lot of life I get to live now . So don't worry about the loss of things . Just see it as a passageway . You're just going through this passage . You're going through this transition . It's just getting to the next chapter . You're going down the hallway , that's all it is , and it's okay .

Speaker 2 28:55

Honestly , um , when it comes to flexibility , just try and be a bit more flexible . Although it's unpredictable , just try and be practice flexibility if you if that's okay leave some buffer room in your calendar . This is a good time not to pack things in too tightly if because if you have a heavy period or a very emotional day , you , you're going to come a little bit of a cropper of things are packed in around there . So if you know that the you know this , this might fall around a period day , or just in general , just don't expect too much of yourself . Give yourself some room to breathe .

Speaker 2 29:37

I think is what I'm trying to say , because it is a lot , and so if your calendar's not full to the rafters right now , that would kind of be a good thing , yeah , and the last kind of practical thing I think would be lean on your find support and actively look for it . Lean on your friends , um , family females . Come if you're I mean , you're obviously not , was this in our perimenopause on whatsapp , um , but if you're not , in our perimenopause support group , come , come , hang out . I think she is okay . I recognize the face . Okay , I think she is okay if you're and if you're , if you're in , if you want to join our um perimenopause membership . That's a great place as well . We've got lots of resources in there .

Speaker 2 30:20

It's it's good to talk to other women going through the same thing , because you're not going to be alone and , of course , we're always here for you in this , in this space we got you , we , we do , and I think it's just really important to know that , although your body might make you feel like life's unproductable right now , you do have tools and resources that help you navigate this . Small steps , find out what works for you , try and take it lighter as much as you can . That's not gaslighting you at all . It's very unpredictable . It is challenging , but there are a few things that you can do , as I said , that help you .

Speaker 2 30:56

Challenging , but there are a few things that you can do , as I said , that help you as much as you can . Try and help yourself with balancing things out . Try and make life easier where you can , and if you have any more questions , just reach out and ask us . That's what we're here for . And then , if anybody here relates to Emily's story I'm sure you , so many of you do just please know you're not alone in this . We can always help as as much as you can to help you navigate perimenopause with grace , resilience and , hopefully , a little humor along the way , as always , whenever we can , and if you have any questions about perimenopause , do feel free to reach out by WhatsApp or in our group , and we will be here to answer your questions again next week . Take care , my darlings , and we'll speak to you soon . Bye , thanks for joining us today on the uncomplicated perimenopause podcast . We hope you found this episode helpful and inspiring

Support and Resources for Perimenopause

Speaker 2 31:55

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Speaker 1 31:55

Don't forget if you have any questions or topics you'd like us to cover , you can reach out through our perimenopause group or on whatsapp for more information on my coaching , perimenopause supplements , books or upcoming events , please visit wwwkatebrovnercom and if you've enjoyed today's episode , please subscribe , rate and review our podcast . It really helps us reach more listeners , just like you . Until next time .

Speaker 2 32:21

Remember , perimenopause doesn't have to be complicated . We're here to help you every step of the way . Stay uncomplicated . Bye .