This is your Women's Health Podcast podcast.
Welcome to the Women’s Health Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here. Today we’re going straight into a season that touches every woman who lives long enough to see it: perimenopause. This is not the beginning of the end. This is the beginning of a powerful new chapter, and you deserve to understand it and own it.
Perimenopause is the transition time leading up to menopause, when estrogen and progesterone start to fluctuate. The Mayo Clinic explains that it can begin in your 40s, and sometimes even your late 30s, and it can last several years. During this time, listeners might notice irregular periods, hot flashes, sleep changes, mood shifts, brain fog, vaginal dryness, and changes in libido. None of this means you are “crazy” or “overreacting.” It means your hormones are changing.
To help us break this down, imagine we’re sitting with an expert like Dr. Shamsah Amersi, an OB-GYN who focuses on women’s midlife health. Here are the questions I’d be asking her for you.
First, I’d ask Dr. Amersi to define perimenopause in clear language. What is happening in the body, and how is it different from menopause itself, which is officially 12 months after your last period? Then I’d ask when listeners should start to suspect perimenopause. Is it the skipped periods, the 3 a.m. wake-ups, the sudden rage or tears, or all of the above?
Next, I’d move into symptoms and validation. I’d ask: Which symptoms are most common, and which ones surprise women the most, like joint pain or heart palpitations? I’d invite her to talk about what the North American Menopause Society calls the “wide normal range” of experiences, so listeners know they’re not alone and not imagining things.
Then we’d get practical and empowering. I’d ask Dr. Amersi about lifestyle strategies with real impact: what kind of movement helps, what a supportive eating pattern looks like, how cutting back on alcohol or nicotine may ease symptoms, and why sleep routines matter so much in this phase. Every Mother, a women’s health resource, emphasizes that combining movement, nutrition, and stress management can significantly improve quality of life during perimenopause, and I’d ask her to translate that into daily habits.
From there, we would talk treatments. I’d ask about menopausal hormone therapy, sometimes called MHT or hormone replacement therapy, and how current research from organizations like the North American Menopause Society and Psychology Today reports that it can be safe and effective for many women when individualized. I’d ask her to explain who might benefit, who should be cautious, and what non-hormonal options exist, including certain antidepressants, vaginal moisturizers, and other targeted medications.
I’d also bring in empowerment and self-advocacy. Blooming Leaf Counseling talks about how often women feel dismissed or even gaslit when they raise perimenopause concerns. I’d ask Dr. Amersi how listeners can prepare for appointments, how to use a symptom journal, what questions to ask, and when it’s time to seek a second opinion.
We’d close the conversation by asking her for one message she wants every woman in perimenopause to hear. Maybe it’s this: you are not losing yourself; you are evolving. With the right information, support, and care, this can be a time of clarity and strength.
So here are your key takeaways. First, if your body is changing in your late 30s or 40s, you are not broken. You may be in perimenopause, and knowledge is power. Second, symptoms are real, common, and manageable. Lifestyle tools plus, when appropriate, medical treatments like hormone therapy or non-hormonal medications can make a huge difference. Third, you deserve to be heard. Track your symptoms, ask direct questions, and do not be afraid to change providers if you are dismissed. Finally, perimenopause is not the end of vitality or sexuality. With support, it can be a doorway into a more unapologetic, grounded version of you.
Thank you for tuning in to the Women’s Health Podcast. If this episode helped you, please subscribe, share it with a friend, and stay with us as we keep having honest, empowering conversations about your body and your life.
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