Three Things I Didn’t Know Might Be Signs of Perimenopause

At 48 I am in perimenopause and finding ways to thrive through it. It seems like every day I learn something new about this phase of life- how it affects women in different ways, and the common symptoms that no one attributes to these wild fluctuations in our hormones.

Today I am sharing three things that I never realized could be caused by perimenopause. When I learned about them, my mind was blown. I also decided to share the three things that I was actually able to find some relief for, since I know so many people are going through similar experiences.

1. Changes in pH and frequent UTI’s

I have shared before that when I was a teenager I suffered from bacterial vaginosis. (You can see my Dove highlights HERE for the story). My mom helped me tremendously. She shared about making sure my underwear were breathable. But the most important thing she taught me was to use Dove beauty bar when washing down below. I hadn’t suffered from another outbreak since. She learned it from her gynecologist and passed it onto me. Fast forward to a couple years ago, suddenly I was experiencing persistent UTI’s and unusual smells. Come to find out, as Dr. Mary Claire and other researchers have found the changes in hormones can affect your pH balance.

Solutions: Continue wearing breathable underwear (at least find some that have a cotton gusset), change quickly out of workout clothes, and use Dove, yes. But also take care of your gut microbiome, which can affect everything, including vaginal health. This means lots of fiber (at least 30g a day), lots of water, and taking a good probiotic. I use seed, but just find one that is scientifically proven to be affective. They recently released a vaginal suppository version, as have a few other brands, which is interesting to me. If I run into any issues again, I may try it to see if it helps.

2. Allergies.

It came out of nowhere. In my early 40’s, not only did I suddenly develop seasonal allergies, but I also developed some food allergies. I have a few tricks for seasonal allergies here. I have been told that the food allergies I developed are Oral Allergy syndrome. I had an allergy scientist reach out through my dms to say that an allergist can actually help with this. For me, it’s when I eat certain raw fruits and veggies. My throat itches, and some cause me to become nauseous. Apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, almonds, and even broccoli are just a few. Perhaps the worst one was avocados because I love them. They are not only delicious, but they are also an excellent source of fiber and good fat. They fill you up and are just the best.

Solution: I found out you can heat them up in the microwave to break down the protein that causes me to be nauseous. This made sense because I can eat apple pie, apple sauce, and anything that has been cooked or processed some way. I tried it and I am happy to report that it works! Just slice the avocado in half, take out the seed and keep the skin on. Wrap one half in a paper towel and microwave for 90 seconds. Now I store the “cooked” avocado in the fridge so I can pull one out whenever I need it for a recipe or smoothie. I am so happy I could cry 🙂 See avocado solution here.

3. Irrational anger and depression.

We laugh about it now but Rob was saying for years that I had changed. When we recounted and traced our steps, we realized it may have been perimenopause. It all started happening in my mid to late 30’s. I would become annoyed at the smallest things and snap for no good reason. I thought it was PMDD. Rob just thought it was him and that I simply wasn’t saying what he did wrong. That breaks my heart.

After going to therapy I saw a big difference in the depression- talking to someone and getting outside as my counselor suggested really did change my life and gave me my joy again. But the anger was still there under the surface. After I started taking progesterone, everything changed, quite literally. (You can see details about progesterone in my blog post on perimenopause here). I was so relieved to find out that I hadn’t lost my mind, and Rob was relieved to have the real me back again.

There are so many other things that may be perimenopause, like sudden skin conditions and reactions, insomnia, hair loss, memory issues, changes in sexual drive, joint pain, increased belly fat, and so much more. Talk to your doctor if you think you need help, and see my blog post for resources.

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