In my forthcoming book — which covers the cutting-edge anti-aging healthcare that I deliver to my patients at LowTE Florida — I devote a substantial portion of our discussion to the ongoing and under-appreciated devastation to our collective hormonal health in modern times.
In a world full of hormone-wrecking chemicals (called “endocrine disruptors” in medical literature), both men and women’s hormone health suffer greatly.
Yet, even as a practicing nurse practitioner up to speed on the latest science, I am consistently taken aback by new studies documenting the extent of this phenomenon and its real-life, often devastating health impacts on the men and women of America — including the patients I treat here at LowTE Florida.
Here, I’d like to discuss a brand-new study released by a top-tier medical journal, npj Women’s Health, which examines the epidemic of women in their 30s experiencing the initial stage of menopause called “perimenopause.”
The research team surveyed a sizeable sample of 4,432 American women on their perimenopause symptoms, if any, and the healthcare they sought.
Aside from the typical finding that healthcare-seeking for perimenopause symptoms increased with age, what they discovered was shocking: a full quarter of surveyed women ages 30-35 not only had sought healthcare for perimenopause but had been diagnosed as having the condition.
From StudyFinds (emphasis my own):
“Perimenopause—the transitional phase leading up to menopause—has long been considered a mid-life experience, typically affecting women in their late 40s. However, new research reveals that a significant number of women in their 30s are already experiencing perimenopausal symptoms severe enough to seek medical attention…
“Physical and emotional symptoms associated with perimenopause are understudied and often dismissed by physicians. This research is important in order to more fully understand how common these symptoms are, their impact on women, and to raise awareness amongst physicians as well as the general public,” says study co-author Dr. Jennifer Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, in a statement.
Despite medical definitions being well established, public understanding remains muddled. Many people use “menopause” as a catch-all term for both perimenopause and post-menopause. This confusion contributes to women feeling unprepared and unsupported during this transition.
The journey through perimenopause varies. Some women experience a smooth 5-7 year transition with manageable symptoms, while others face a decade-long struggle with physical and psychological challenges that impact daily life.”
As noted above, perimenopause is typically associated with women in their 40s and references the stage before full-blown menopause — defined as having gone twelve full months without a menstrual cycle. However, as the new research shows, more and more American women of younger ages are also going through perimenopausal changes.
From the aforementioned new research study featured in npj Women’s Health (emphasis my own):
“Here, we report the results of a survey of 4432 U.S. women about clinical help-seeking and the presence and severity of perimenopause symptoms.
In this large sample of US-based women aged over 30 years, we explored rates of clinical help-seeking for perimenopause, investigated which symptoms were most associated with perimenopause status, and estimated symptom severity of perimenopause and menopause-related symptoms using the MRS.
Overall, we found that the rate of visits to a medical professional about perimenopause increases with age, along with a higher rate of perimenopause and menopause diagnoses. However, we also demonstrated that over a quarter of respondents in the youngest age group (30–35 years) had been told by a medical professional they were perimenopausal.”
Symptoms of perimenopause can be wide-ranging, affecting your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Some, but not all, perimenopause symptoms might include:
- Irregular periods
- Painful intercourse
- Vaginal dryness, itching, or redness
- Insomnia or other sleep problems
- Cognitive impairment (brain fog)
- Night sweats
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches
- Depression, anxiety or other mental health problems
- Mood swings
Unfortunately, for a younger woman presenting with any of the classic symptoms of menopause, it’s possible that a general practitioner without a keen eye for hormonal deficiencies or specialized training might attribute the above classic perimenopause symptoms to something else, assuming the patient is too young to begin menopause.
In that case, the patient might receive incorrect (and unnecessary) treatment while the true root of the issue, a hormone imbalance, goes untreated.
This is why it’s imperative to seek the counsel of an experienced hormone specialist to rule in or out hormones as the culprit of any set of symptoms.
If you or a loved one might be suffering from the effects of early-onset perimenopause, please know that there are effective and affordable solutions that can deliver immense relief — physical, mental and emotional — to the patients who receive treatment.
I can say with conviction that effective options exist, and the first step is testing in the patients I treat at my leading LowTE Florida practice, located in Ft. Lauderdale.
At LowTE Florida, we use a variety of a lab-guided plan to restore the hormones to their natural and optimal levels, including bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Contact me to discuss your case and let’s get started on your journey back to wellness.
As always, be well and be your best.