Perimenopause is the transition period from your reproductive years to menopause. This transition period can differ between women in terms of the age at which it starts and how long it lasts. While many women are aware of the symptoms of perimenopause, many are unaware of the effect it can have on adrenal health.
This article will take a closer look at the connection between perimenopause and adrenal health and what you can do to support your body throughout this time.
Perimenopause and Your Hormones
As your body shifts into perimenopause, your hormones start to change. Estrogen and progesterone are two of the most well-known reproductive hormones, but other hormones are also involved, such as:
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
- Testosterone
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
- Cortisol
DHEA is a precursor for estrogen and androgens. During perimenopause, DHEA starts to decline causing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels to reduce. Additionally, FSH starts to decrease.
With estrogen, you may be surprised to learn that there are three different types of estrogen. Estradiol is the most potent estrogen and is predominant during your fertile years. During perimenopause, however, estradiol starts to decline and estrone, a less potent estrogen, starts to increase.
What Are the Symptoms of Perimenopause?
There are many symptoms of perimenopause, with the main symptoms being (1):
- Hot flashes
- Nights sweats
- Changes in sleep
- Mood swings
- Poor memory
- Low libido
- Increase in weight, specifically around the abdomen
While some individuals may experience multiple different symptoms, others may only experience one or two of these symptoms.
Perimenopause and Adrenal Health: How Are They Linked?
Your reproductive hormones are mainly produced by your ovaries. However, a small amount is also produced by your adrenal glands, two glands that sit atop your kidneys. During perimenopause, as your ovaries start to produce lower levels of reproductive hormones, it can cause the adrenal glands to produce more reproductive hormones to maintain balance. This can cause your adrenal glands to work harder than usual and act as a stressor to your body. When this happens, stress hormones are produced to help your body cope with the stress. Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones and can start to increase during perimenopause due to this strain.
The Effects of Stress During Perimenopause
In addition to perimenopause, multiple factors can increase your stress levels. These include work, societal, family, and financial pressure, poor nutrition, frequently occurring illnesses, toxins, and pollutants. As we age, many of these factors can also increase.
Your body utilizes the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System to manage stress. This system consists of six different circuits of related organs and systems. When your body is exposed to stress, your adrenal glands produce more cortisol; this is known as the fight-or-flight response. Theoretically, once the stress clears, your cortisol will reduce and your body will shift back to its rest-and-digest response.
However, ongoing stress, such as that caused by perimenopause, can cause your cortisol levels to continue to remain high. Eventually, the adrenal glands can become depleted, causing low levels of cortisol and imbalances within the NEM system. This can result in Adrenal Fatigue, a condition where the body is unable to keep up with long-term stress, and can result in various symptoms on top of perimenopause.
Adrenal Fatigue and Your Hormones
In Adrenal Fatigue, the symptoms will depend on where the imbalance in the NEM system is. One of the circuits that can become affected is the Hormone circuit. This circuit consists of your adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and reproductive organs and is responsible for producing your hormones. Adrenal Fatigue can exacerbate some of the symptoms of perimenopause such as changes in your menstrual cycle, libido, and weight gain.
Other symptoms of an imbalanced Hormone circuit include fatigue, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), infertility, and temperature intolerance. Since these symptoms are similar to those of perimenopause, some women may think their symptoms are a sign of perimenopause or menopause, when in fact, they are caused by Adrenal Fatigue. If you aren’t sure whether or not your symptoms are perimenopause or Adrenal Fatigue, a healthcare provider can help. During a consultation, your healthcare provider will be able to order blood tests to see if there are changes in your cortisol levels and/or your reproductive hormones. Additionally, they can also consider your symptoms and history to determine whether or not you are experiencing perimenopause or Adrenal Fatigue.
Perimenopause and Adrenal Health: What Can You Do About It
If you are experiencing both perimenopause and adrenal health changes, you may wonder, what you can do about it. Fortunately, there are a range of lifestyle and nutritional practices that can help to improve both perimenopause and adrenal health.
Manage Stress
Reducing the stress placed on your body can help to reduce the strain on your adrenal glands. But while managing stress sounds simple, it can be easier said than done. Some practices that can help include:
- Good quality nutrition
- Supplementation
- Breathing exercises
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Tai chi
- Journalling
- Therapy
- Seeing a healthcare professional
Some of these practices may be more effective than others. This makes it important to experiment and see which ones work for you.
Perimenopause can also increase physical stress due to changes in your body and cause feelings of sadness and isolation. Joining a support group, either in person or online, can help you to surround yourself with others on a similar journey. This can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and may help you find tools to support yourself during this time.
Optimize Nutrition
Good quality nutrition can help to support both perimenopause and adrenal health. Food sources that you can focus on to help improve the quality of your nutrition include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and fermented food products such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi. These foods are rich in various nutrients that can help support your body during perimenopause and can help support your adrenal glands. Some of these nutrients include (3):
- Vitamins C, E, and B complex
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Polyphenols
- Probiotics
These nutrients can also act as antioxidants or help with the production of antioxidants, reducing free radical damage. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can increase due to perimenopause and stress (2). This can help to reduce inflammation in the body and symptoms that may result from this inflammation, such as a decline in memory and concentration.
In terms of beverages, being mindful of your alcohol and caffeine intake can also help to reduce further stress on your body. Alternatives for these include water or water infused with fruits and herbs, if you are looking for a change in taste.
Optimize Sleep Quality
Your sleep quality can be greatly influenced by symptoms of perimenopause such as hot flashes and bathroom visits, as well as by anxiety and stress. Changes in your sleep quality can place further stress on your body and may contribute to a decline in adrenal health.
Improving your sleep quality can therefore help support your adrenal health. Practices that may help include:
- Going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every day.
- Reducing your exposure to screens before you sleep.
- Reducing your exposure to activities that may stimulate your mind before sleep such as work or mind puzzles.
- Using black-out curtains.
- Reducing your intake of stimulating beverages such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
- Trying sleep-inducing herbs such as chamomile, lemon balm, and valerian root.
Gentle Exercise
While some exercises, especially vigorous exercises, can put further strain on your adrenal glands, other exercises can relax your nervous system. These include:
- Tai chi
- Yoga
- Walking
These exercises can help to regulate your cortisol levels as well as perimenopause symptoms such as weight gain and changes in sleep. The exercise recommendations are 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week with two days a week focusing on muscle building.
Supplementation
If you are concerned that you are not receiving adequate nutrients through your diet, taking supplements can help ensure you receive these nutrients. Supplementation can also offer various nutrients, herbs, and compounds that may help with perimenopause and adrenal health that you may not be able to receive from food. Some supplements that may help include ones that work on regulating your reproductive hormones and cortisol levels.
Evening Primrose Oil (EPO)
EPO is an oil from the evening primrose flower, a wildflower that is found in the US. This oil has been shown to mimic the actions of estrogen and can help individuals experiencing symptoms of low estrogen such as hot flashes and night sweats. EPO Pro by Dr. Lam is a supplement that provides 1300mg of evening primrose oil in a soft gel form. The recommended dosage is one soft gel, once to twice a day.
Chaste Tree Berry
Where EPO can influence estrogen levels, chaste tree berry, on the other hand, can influence progesterone levels. It is a plant native to the Mediterranean and Asian regions and may help with symptoms such as mood swings, weight gain, and changes in sleep. Liquid Vitex by Dr. Lam provides a chaste tree berry blend in a liquid form. The recommended dose is ten drops, once to three times a day.
Adaptogens
Adaptogenic supplements can help your body adapt to stress. There are multiple different herbs and mushrooms that can be considered adaptogenic. Some of these include:
- Ashwagandha
- Rhodiola
- Holy basil
- Cordyceps mushroom
These adaptogens may also influence your reproductive hormones and may help to relieve perimenopausal symptoms.
Closing Thoughts
Experiencing perimenopause is a journey in itself, and dealing with both perimenopause and adrenal health changes can be daunting. However, by supporting both your reproductive and stress hormones, along with optimizing your diet, exercise, sleep, stress levels, and considering supplements, you can help improve your perimenopause and adrenal health symptoms.
If you are currently navigating this journey and are looking for ways to improve your perimenopause and adrenal health journey or have questions, you can give us a call at +1 (714) 709-8000.
