How can I best support myself through peri?

[SummersBreeze]

I am approaching 40 and I think I am in peri-menopause. Lately over the past 2 months or so, I get sore boobs right before my period. This didn't usually happen to me before. I think it's peri. There's other signs too of peri. Like missing a period once or twice a year, scattered cycles.

How would I best support myself through peri. I eat well. I limit processed foods and I limit snacks and sweets and chocolates. The majority of my diet consists of eggs and vegetables and cheese and fish and yogurts. I do eat well. I take supplements too for general health. All of this is good for me. I feel it in my energy levels. I have more energy now than I ever had before.

Are there any supplements geared towards peri menopause? I don't want to wait for heavier symptoms to come in to me like insomnia and night sweats. I think I would like to start a supplement if I can to see if it helps going forward.

Any help would be great. Thanks

Sounds like you're looking after yourself pretty well so far. Do you exercise? Exercise/activity is incredibly important during this time and after menopause too. For mood, bone health, cardiovascular health, everything really. I can't help you on the supplements I'm afraid, at least ones geared towards perimenopause - I know there are quite a few for menopause and it's symptoms.

It's great that you have so much energy!

During the first pandemic lockdown, my job became more balanced. For the first time since about 2007 I began to see 6pm and 7pm on my kitchen clock. That was something that I hadn't seen in years. Life was all just work, work, work, work. For years I started work in the morning and for years I was kept late in the evenings. The only exercise k was getting was walking to and from work but it wasn't substantial.

When the lockdown came I was working more balanced days, I spent evenings and weekends exercising and I loved every minute of it. 2 stone fell off me with so much ease.

Life is gone back to the way it was now. Every evening this week there was an excuito keepe late until well after 10pm. I'm working every single day from morning til whatever that my employer will decide to let me off at. I hate it.

Last weekend was a bank holiday and I spent the whole entire weekend cleaning up filth and squalor from my room because it's so easy to let things pile up when you're working full time. Piling up happens unintentionally. That's my life.

Its so easy for people to judge online and say walk instead of taking the bus. You're telling someone who does walk and doesn't take a bus.

• fit exercise in on the lunch break: as if we all get an hour's break in the middle of the day
• stop watching TV and replace with exercise. If only I sat down to watch TV.

Menopace helped me in the early days before I was properly peri

It's fashionable for people to say things are perimenopause. This can prevent them going and getting things they're experiencing treatment and sorted more quickly. So, if you have low mood, get it treated and comply with treatment. If you have weight gain, get it treated. Whether someone has peri or not, the best way to treat and quickly sort out any health problems people are experiencing is to get evidence based treatment for each individual issue ASAP. And if you have uncontrollable hot flushes or something you could consider HRT if it seems worth the risks to you.