How been you told that perimenopause is the beginning of the end for the functioning of your ovaries? Does being perimenopausal mean that you are sliding into the menopause stage of life?
The Failing Ovary Myth
To answer these questions, first let’s define perimenopause. It is the time in a woman’s life that can start starting around the age of 40-something that is characterised by irregular cycles, changes in menstrual flow, and often accompanied by weight gain, mood swings or other symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Sometimes these symptoms show up earlier in life and sometimes they don’t occur at all.
In the traditional medical model, perimenopause is believed to be a time that indicates the beginning of the menopause change. Women are told the dreaded news that their ovaries are failing and the they are running out of oestrogen. In many cases, doctors will recommend some form of Hormone Replacement Therapy to help address symptoms to make the transition to menopause “seamless”!
But hold on! Do the ovaries really fail? Has Mother Nature designed women to run of of oestrogen in their 40’s? Is this really what is occurring during this perimenopause time? Is hormone replacement a necessary and appropriate treatment at this stage of a women’s life cycle? Can, in fact, prescribing HRT not only be inappropriate but dangerous? Oestrogen excess is known to be associated with many health problems, including oestrogen-dependent cancers.
Here’s the good news! Perimenopause ISN’T what you think it is.
For decades doctors have been telling women that perimenopause is a time when the ovaries begin to wind down…and then finally poop out completely at menopause. No ovarian function means no oestrogen production. So, when women in their 40’s and early 50’s start complaining of hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, insomnia, migraines, and moods swings, they are led to believe that these perimenopausal symptoms are all about a declining oestrogen level from a failing ovary.
However, research has discovered quite the contrary. In fact, it turns out that the perimenopausal ovary (the period 5-10 years before cessation of menstrual cycles) is more active than it has been since adolescence.
One leading researcher, endocrinologist Dr. Jerilynn Prior, has found that “the perimenopause ovary produces erratic and excess levels of oestrogen, with unpredictable moods, heavy flow, hot flashes and mucous symptoms that appear suddenly and unexpectedly.”
The many symptoms that women experience during the perimenopause years, such as weight gain, irrational hunger, increased migraines, heavy periods, worsening endometriosis, breast swelling (with pain or lumps), new or growing fibroids, new or increasing PMS, pelvic pain and uterine cramps are caused by HIGH levels of oestrogen…NOT low levels.
Perimenopause is About Progesterone Deficiency
Dr. Prior has found that the average oestrogen levels in perimenopausal women are higher than in younger women. The perimenopausal women not only had higher levels of oestrogen but also had lower levels of progesterone.
The real issue behind the perimenopausal symptoms is the imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen is too high in relationship to progesterone. So the real culprit is oestrogen excess.
The truth is that during perimenopause oestrogen levels are higher than normal while progesterone levels fall significantly due to erratic ovulations. So, contrary to popular belief, the ovaries are not failing but rather working overtime during perimenopause. In a sense, they are trying to do the last Hurrah! There is usually plenty of oestrogen being produced. However, it’s the progesterone that tends to be the deficient hormone during perimenopause.
Why are women progesterone deficient?
Progesterone is made when ovulation occurs. Since perimenopausal women often miss or skip menstrual cycles, the are not making progesterone. The delicate balance between just the right amount of progesterone and oestrogen production is altered. Progesterone deficiency is really the problem during perimenopause.
The Amazing Menopausal Ovary
And what’s more amazing is the latest understanding that not only do the perimenopausal ovaries remain active but also, so do the menopausal ovaries!
According to the research of Dr. Celso Ramon Garcia, M.D, noted physician, educator, and internationally renowned pioneer in the field of reproductive endocrinology, after menopause the ovaries continue to function! Our awesome menopausal ovaries work in conjunction with other body sites such as the adrenal glands, skin, muscle, brain, pineal gland, hair follicles and body fat to produce hormones.
It is now known that even the postmenopausal ovaries maintain a steroid capability for several decades after menses has ceased. As Prior once wrote, “Older ovaries, replete with stroma material, are now understood to actively produce androstenedione – the hormone that, in the menopausal woman, is converted to oestrone, in the fat deposits of the body. This pathway can be significant in preventing osteoporosis.”
Far from shrivelling up and running out of steam, the ovaries of menopausal women continue to secrete androgen hormones, often late into the menopause, which support a woman’s wellbeing. The medical model of endocrinology has defined women’s hormonal cycles and life cycles as conditions that need to be medicalised and treated with dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. It is indeed liberating for all women to reclaim the truth about the Divine Intelligence of Nature that has endowed women throughout their life cycle to be healthy, vital and flourish.
When seeking solutions to the symptoms of perimenopausal or menopause, it would be wise to reclaim the knowledge of women’s wisdom and to explore the use of effective natural solutions such as herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, nutrition, homeopathy, frequency medicine and other healing modalities to safely restore hormonal balance.
I highly recommend reading my book, Hormone Heresy: What Women MUST Know About Their Hormones, to truly reclaim your feminine power and regain the knowledge of your hormonal wisdom.
Dr. Sherrill Sellman, N.D. is a Naturopathic Doctor, educator, women’s natural health expert, psychotherapist and journalist in the field of holistic health. She is a passionate advocate for regaining hormonal health naturally and reclaiming Feminine Wisdom. Dr. Sherrill is the best-selling author of Hormone Heresy: What Women MUST Know. To read more go to www.drsherrillsellman.com
Read more:
Perimenopause: The Ovary’s Frustrating Grand Finale https://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/resources/perimenopause-ovary’s-frustratinggrand-finale;
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16034185 2005 Apr;26(3):297-300. doi: 10.1385/ENDO:26:3:297. Ovarian aging and the perimenopausal transition: the paradox of endogenous ovarian hyperstimulation, Jerilynn C Prior;
The late Dr Celso Ramon Garcia, M.D, Director of Surgery at the Hospital of Pennsylvania (27 years of teaching reproduction, pioneer in female fertility). https://www.athenainstitute.com/sciencelinks/preserveovary.html
