The Biggest Mistakes Women Make When Trying to Fix Their Perimenopause Symptoms

You’re doing everything “right” - eating well, exercising, taking the supplements, maybe even starting HRT - so why do you still feel exhausted, foggy, and stuck in a body that isn’t cooperating?

If perimenopause has left you frustrated and wondering why nothing is working, chances are you’re making one of these three common mistakes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Most women are given generic, one-size-fits-all advice when it comes to perimenopause. But here’s the truth - what worked in your 30s won’t work now. In this episode, I break down the biggest mistakes women make when trying to fix their perimenopause symptoms and what actually works instead.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✔ Why HRT isn’t a magic fix: and how starting it at the wrong time can make symptoms worse, not better
✔ The real reason you still feel awful: and the overlooked health factors (beyond estrogen) that could be driving your symptoms
✔ Why DIY-ing your way through perimenopause is keeping you stuck: and how to finally get clarity on what your body actually needs

If you’ve been spinning your wheels, trying everything but still feeling awful, this episode will give you the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.

SNEAK PEEK:

“Trying to ‘balance your hormones’ in perimenopause is like chasing the end of a rainbow - it’s just not going to happen. Instead of focusing on balance, we need to focus on helping your body adapt to these changes.”

If you’re tired of wasting time, money, and energy on things that don’t work, this episode will help you cut through the noise and focus on what actually makes a difference for your body in perimenopause.

Find out more about Sarah, her services and the Freebies mentioned in this episode at https://www.ThePerimenopauseNaturopath.com.au

• The Perimenopause Decoder is the ultimate guide to understanding if perimenopause hormone fluctuations are behind your changing mood, metabolism and energy after 40, what phase of perimenopause you're in, and how much longer you may be on this roller coaster for.
• For more, follow on Instagram at @theperimenopausenaturopath.

WORK WITH SARAH THE PERIMENOPAUSE NATUROPATH:

• PerimenoGO (because who wants to pause anyway?!) A self-guided program to help you reverse weight gain, boost energy, and reclaim your mood — without extreme diets or cutting carbs. Perfect for women who want a realistic plan that fits around kids, work, and actual life.
• The Chaos to Calm Method: A 1:1 personalised program for women who want a more personalised plan and support — especially if you’ve got 10kg+ to lose, other health issues, or feel like your body’s just stuck. Includes comprehensive blood testing and analysis, Metabolic Balance ...

Transcript

One of the most frustrating things about perimenopause is thinking you're on the right track. You're doing everything you've been told will help everything that you've done in the past that has worked to keep you feeling good, but now you're still feeling exhausted, foggy, like your body isn't cooperating and you're feeling really uncomfortable in it and your clothes.

So you think I'll clean up my diet some more. I'll take some supplements. I saw that advertised on Instagram. I'm going to try that, or that worked for my friend, Sally. I'm going to try that. Maybe you've even started HRT, but still nothing seems to change. Nothing is shifting. And you're probably wondering why, why, or thinking why, why does this happen?

And that's what we're going to dive into today. So I, the biggest mistakes I see women making when trying to fix their perimenopause symptoms and what I think you should be focusing on instead. So by the end of this episode, you'll walk away with a clear understanding of why you might be feeling this way, why you might be feeling stuck this way, and what to do next to start feeling better without having to keep going with the trial and error there.

If we haven't met before, Hi, I'm Sarah, The Perimenopause Naturopath, and I've helped hundreds of women over 40 navigate perimenopause with confidence so they can feel great in their bodies and reclaim their mood and energy. So if you're feeling like you're changing hormones, a hijacking your mood, energy and weight, and you want to change that in a holistic way, then this is the place for you because each episode I share with you my views on what's happening in your body, why you're feeling the way you are, and how you can change that with actionable advice to help you move from chaos to calm and feel comfortable in your body and mind again.

So welcome friend to episode number 82 of Chaos to Calm. Today, I'm sharing the biggest mistakes women make when trying to fix their perimenopause symptoms. I see this all the time in my clinic, women come to me, they're frustrated, they're exhausted. They're feeling like defeated what's the point?

Why keep going? Because they're doing all the right things or what we've grown up knowing is all the right things. So they think they're doing the right things and maybe even started HRT, certainly cleaned up their diet. They're probably taking supplements or special perimenopause or menopause blends.

They've probably tried lots of different workouts, gym challenges and yet they're still struggling with the same symptoms. They're probably getting hot flushes and sweats. Weight gain is still continuing. A lot of bloating, constipation, reflux those gut issues, brain fog and mood swings. Still getting those cognitive impacts and feeling really tired like in that way that no amount of sleep is going to fix, although this sleep is probably a bit rubbish as well.

So like I had a client, Sharon and she came to me, she was already on HRT and had been for a while. She was pretty desperate because she had been, getting lots of hot flushes. So she worked in a male heavy or male dominated profession. And she would flush like bright red in meetings often and sweat sweat, sweaty pits and all that sort of thing.

And she was really struggling to focus in her work. And that was hard for her. Like many of my clients, they're in these sort of high powered or demanding jobs and they need to be on the ball. And they have been in the past of course, but now things are changing and they can't sort of get that back. So they're having to work twice as hard to keep up or stay on top of their game. So Sharon went on to HRT hoping that would solve all her problems for her. And she tried lots of things. She looked after herself. That's the thing, I think lots of people think that, My clients or people who come to me for help must probably not looking after themselves maybe eating out or eating junk food or not exercising, all those things.

But Sharon is a classic example of the type of woman that I work with in that she was actually doing all those things and trying really hard to look after herself and watching what she ate and eating vegetables and protein and all of those things that we're told we should do.

So it wasn't, the problem wasn't that she wasn't trying hard enough. The problem there was that it wasn't quite the right things for her, even though they were the right things, they weren't right for her. And that's what I want to help you with today. So, let's get into the biggest mistakes women make when trying to fix their perimenopause symptoms and what I think you should do instead.

So mistake number one, I'm just going to open out with a maybe people are going to come at me, but I hope you don't listen to what I'm going to say first. So, the first mistake is thinking HRT. And I'm going to say all supplements like especially those menopause or perimenopause mixes that are in abundance on Instagram and social media, but thinking that either of those is going to fix everything for you.

So I am not anti HRT. Many of my clients come to me on HRT, or it might be something they explore later on. It can be a really helpful tool for some people, but what I want you to know is that it's not a magic fix. And it doesn't help your body adjust to the changes of perimenopause. It does replace what's missing or what's in decline, but it doesn't address any underlying dysfunction that can really be at the root of those symptoms or how your feelings.

So primarily the problem is not always a loss of hormones. And I talk about that my free masterclass that's available on demand. The why you're gaining weight after 40: the four hormone shift. So I talk about that in there, the underlying dysfunction that's related to weight gain, but also other perimenopause symptoms as well.

And I've touched on it in the last few weeks as well. Last week's episode, I talked about the estrogen rollercoaster and estrogen excess. And so, yeah, we're not, even though ultimately menopause is about loss or decline of, hormones, there's a whole period of two to 12 years in between there. Where it's not about decline.

It's actually about that rollercoaster there as well. So if we're not addressing that underlying dysfunction and helping your body to adapt and adjust, then you're still going to struggle with flushes and sweats, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, bloating, mood swings, anxiety, whatever your mix of symptoms is.

Because it's not addressing the bigger picture. And perimenopause isn't just about estrogen dropping. It's about that estrogen rollercoaster. So if you're adding in more estrogen, then your, going to perhaps increase that even further when your estrogens rollercoastering around and hitting a high, you're adding more estrogen into that.

You can actually feel worse on HRT there as well. But you know we do, need to address that bigger picture as well. Your gut, your liver, your blood sugar balance, your thyroid, what else is going on for you? What's your iron stores and your iron levels? There as well. There's a whole bunch more that we need to do.

What I do know is that if you are taking HRT, often it works better when we address the basics there for you. And by basics, I mean what you're eating, what you're drinking, what you're doing in your life, because they have a really big influence on how you feel generally, but particularly in perimenopause and menopause there.

At the moment, the narrative online seems to be that everyone, every woman should take HRT forever. And again, I think it's more nuanced than that. There's some people who can't take it. There's some women who don't want to take it and we should be given that option. And like all things, I think that should be personalized.

So it should be between you and your care provider, your prescribing doctor, whether you have it or not. But I do strongly recommend that you still address the other areas and aspects of your life, because what you eat, drink, and do is really, important. And same with the supplements with herbs and nutrients, sure they're natural, although many vitamins and minerals are not, they're synthetic.

But if you're just buying random herbs or vitamins, hoping they're going to fix everything, you might just be wasting your money because most over the counter or retail supplements are very low dose. They may not be in the right form for your body or for your body to easily utilize. And they may also, they're usually in very low doses because that's what the TGA, our governing body in Australia, limits who can't, they can't necessarily get therapeutic doses of the herbs or the nutrients.

But also like I wanted to talk about when we're doing these things, whether it's HRT or supplements, and we're just trying to suppress the symptoms, then they're going to come out and that they're going to, our body's going to express them in another way. That's a naturopathic tenant is that when we, if we address the underlying cause.

Okay. Then we resolve the symptom that the issue full stop and the symptoms fall away. But if we suppress, try and suppress the symptoms, which is essentially what we're doing with HRT and supplements. Sometimes the herbs in those products may be chosen, yes, to help try and work on an underlying issue, but we're all different and we're all unique.

We have a different genetic background and we also have different experience and symptoms in perimenopause. So I do strongly feel, just like HRT should be a personal discussion with your doctor, supplements and nutrients should be a personalized discussion with a care provider, like a naturopath or a nutritionist or a herbalist.

So what I think works here is actually leads me to mistake number two, and that's looking at your whole body, your whole person and the underlying issue. And that's a mistake. Like this, the second mistake that I see is ignoring what's really underlying it because yeah, sure, perimenopause and hormone changes.

Yes, they're part of the problem, but it's about how your body is adapting to this phase of life that I see as like the underlying cause. The issue is we have to help your body adapt and adjust. So if you're only focusing on just balancing your hormones or suppressing symptoms, which is what we're doing with HRT and those supplements, But ignoring your bigger metabolic picture and your bigger hormonal picture because there's more hormones in our body than just estrogen and progesterone.

Then you're going to, like I said, you'll have your symptoms, you might get rid of some symptoms, but other symptoms are going to come up and potentially still, and they may not be effective and still feel tired and bloated and gaining weight and not able to concentrate there as well. So quite often other players in this game of the underlying factors are insulin resistance, which is a major factor in weight gain and fatigue and your cravings, even things like flushes and sweats.

So you know, weight gain or weight loss is not just about calories in versus calories out. Like that is. Such an old view of it. Our bodies are so much more complex than that. But if our body is, and in perimenopause, we do tend to become insulin resistant. So our cells don't listen or respond well to insulin.

Then you have high insulin levels and you'll store more fat and feel more tired. So I talk some more about that in my free training, the four why you're gaining weight after 40, the four hormone shifts that you can't ignore. And same blood sugar highs and lows. So if you're skipping meals, sometimes fasting for women doesn't work well.

I've done a whole episode in the past on fasting and why I don't think it's the best thing for us. But you know, if you're not eating enough, if you're doing calorie restriction, if you're skipping meals or you're eating too often, that can really impact your energy, your mood, your cravings, again, hot flushes, sweats, things like that, as well.

Definitely your mood gets heavily impacted there, as well. So we also what other hormones have. Our thyroid is really important because with the changes in progesterone, we can remodel our immune system and there's a higher risk of developing a thyroid dysfunction for many women there and often undiagnosed.

And also the normal ranges, lab ranges for thyroid function can leave, if you're outlying that you can, or at the high end of the normal range, you can feel really terrible and weight loss would be next to impossible for you and you'd feel really foggy in your brain. So it's important to know the full picture of your thyroid.

Same with your liver your liver does so much for us in terms of processing and clearing hormones. If it's not working well, estrogen and other hormones can build up or be like at wrong levels and make your symptoms worse. Of course stress I was reading something today. It was talking about Gen X being labeled the exhausted generation.

And I was like, that is so apt. We are so busy and over scheduled, chronic stress. We're chronically stressed because we're so busy and over scheduled looking after parents, looking after children, working having it all. So we're kind of stuck constantly in that fight or flight mode and our cortisol levels are higher and that's going to impact how our weight loss and weight gain, our sleep, anxiety, mood, energy, everything there as well.

So, we really do need to look at that bigger picture and address that and one other thing behind your perimenopause symptoms too can be your nutrient levels. Particularly iron, and that can impact your thyroid function and your mood and energy and lots of other things as well. So that it's really important to look at, not just assume, oh well it's perimenopause and the problem is estrogen or progesterone.

There's a whole other bunch of stuff going on in the background that's unique to you that's impacting how you feel. So it's not just about estrogen, we need to look at the rest of it as well. One of my Chaos to Calm clients said to me recently that she didn't want to go on HRT. But she also said, well, even if I did, I don't think it would help because my sister's on it and she still feels awful.

And so to some extent she's potentially right from the same gene pool. Maybe there's a higher chance that she won't feel great. But If a sister is not addressing these other issues, these other contributing factors or driving factors, no amount of hormone therapy supplements or hormone balancing will fix things.

And actually that's like part of this mistake as well. I see lots of people trying to balance their hormones and this is really like perimenopause is a natural state of imbalance. And so trying to balance your hormones is like trying to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Like it's just not really going to happen because they fluctuate from moment to moment day to day, week to week.

And they're meant to. So that's why I was saying before the bigger picture is actually helping your body adapt and adjust to that first to the roller coaster. We want to smooth that roller coaster. So it's not like a really terrifying one, but more like the kiddie one. And then we also want to help our body adapt and adjust to those declining levels there as well.

And that's what gives us best health longterm. So you might want to, maybe you do add in HRT to that. Sure. Maybe you might use some supplements or herbs or nutrients there as well. Sure. I don't, it's not that I don't use those things with my clients, but we do that from a, having looked at their whole self and everything that's going on, their health history, their blood test results, all of those things.

And that's what I'm suggesting to you is that stop trying to focus on trying to balance your hormones, but look at your bigger picture and what's underneath and underlying there as well. And that leads me nicely into mistake number three, which is trying to DIY, DIY your way through it. I see this a lot and you probably spent hours Googling, trying lots of different diets, lots of different challenges or lots of different supplements.

Like I said, there's a, so many of them, I get all the ads too, I'm in the same demographic as you. So, yeah I, see all of those things coming in hot to you. And I know there's so many, like, sometimes people have like a bag of supplements or when we had got a new client and they're filling out the intake form and there's like 10 different supplements that they're taking on there.

But how do you know what's working? And you kind of get stuck on those things forever and cause you if they do contribute to helping you feel a bit better, then it's too scary to take that away. That's a lot of money and a lot of different things going in for your body and your liver to deal with.

But you know what I like to say to people is that if you're trying to DIY, you can end up spending a lot of money and a lot of time on this. And you can't really see the forest for the trees when it's your own body, when it's your own self. Because you're deep you're in it. And that's the same for me, even as a naturopath.

I have my own healthcare providers too that can objectively look out, look in at me and say, well you're saying this, but like we're saying this, or all of those sorts of things as well. There's so much conflicting advice online. Anyone can put anything online, you don't the other part of DIYing is that you don't have access to, you might be able to access the testing.

Sure. You can organize blood tests on your own, or you could talk to your GP about it as well, but you might not get the full range or then you've got that sort of three spaghetti at the wall approach to it and just try and get all the testing, but not be able to interpret it or have the optimal ranges available to it.

And like I've said in the first two mistakes, you might be focusing on the wrong things while missing what's actually mattering to you. So it can be a lot more efficient to have someone on your team, advising you and telling you, right, well, I know that this works and I can see that these things are going on for you.

So I think we should do this. It's like you wouldn't Google how to fix your broken car engine and try it yourself. Well, most of us wouldn't. You'd go to a mechanic. Because you don't you don't, we don't need to learn or deep dive into everything or become the expert on everything. Our health is no different.

We do need to be aware and knowledgeable and health literate, I think. So that we can advocate for ourselves when we're sick. Interacting with health care providers, we don't need to be the expert on it. Although we are the expert in our body because we've known it the longest. But you know I think we would engage expert support for lots of different things.

We'd get a plumber if we had a leak in our pipes or we'd get the electrician to come in and we'd do the same with our car. We would get the mechanic there as well. I think your body deserves that same level of extra support there as well. And like so many times I hear from clients who come and work like in the chaos to calm method, which is my really personalized nutrition program and high touch or high support.

And most of them have been DIYing for a while and just feeling really frustrated and defeated by it because they've tried all these different things, spent a lot of time and sometimes money as well on trying to correct the issue. And yeah, it's, it hasn't worked. So what actually works? Well, if you take one thing away from this episode, please let it be this, that you can't just suppress your perimenopause symptoms or try and balance your hormones and expect everything to go away and for you to feel better. I think the real solution isn't found in a pill. Like I did a whole episode on quick fixes and magic bullets. They just don't exist. Buying some random supplement or that's been advertised to you. And I get it. I've felt that desperation before, and I felt that I just want to feel myself again.

I totally understand why you want to do that, but I'm just want you to know that those one size fits all approaches are generally not going to give you what you're seeking because they're just not designed for you and your unique blend and sure you're in perimenopause or menopause. You might have that in common there as well, but like I said, with all unique individuals unique, genetic makeup and hormones and health history and us our systems of our body all work differently as well. 

So yeah, the real solution isn't found in that pill. or a random supplement, or even just necessary, maybe not HRT on its own. You really need to identify and address the real driver behind your symptoms. So whether it's insulin resistance, maybe it's a thyroid dysfunction, perhaps it's your gut health, your liver or chronic stress, whatever it is, understanding the root cause is really key to long term relief of symptoms and feeling great and comfortable in your body again.

And supporting your body's ability to adapt to perimenopause. I think this is really key. Instead of trying to override or suppress the symptoms, you want to help your body adjust to this phase and the next one, which is menopause as well. So you feel better now and set yourself up for a strong, healthy future.

There as well, a long and active life and getting expert advice that's tailored to you and your phase of life. Perimenopause is complex. Your hormone changes are very complex as well. Trying to DIY can make it really overwhelming and not cost effective at all. But when you work with someone who understands how all the pieces can fit together and looks closer at you and what's going on for you, then it's efficient and effective, the solution.

So instead of it might cost you some money, but it will also save you time, money, and energy on trial and error. And that's what I do in my programs and now I'm offering a one to one consults too. So the Perimenopause Naturopath, you can work with us one to one, now as well, which is exciting.

I have not done this in seven years. So it's definitely a new opportunity there as well. And one, one last thing I wanted to say, perhaps this should have been one of the mistakes too, but I know I talk about it a lot, but it is really important to think about is that just because we're in perimenopause and just because we're getting older does not mean we have to put feel rubbish, we don't have to put up with that.

So I think that's probably the first thing that's having that mindset of, I'm not old, I don't have to feel bad. I don't have to feel stiff and, tired and exhausted and, grumpy. That's, not what we have to do. That's really important for you to know as well. So yeah, like I mentioned before, I am now offering one to one sessions where you can work with me or a member of my team to create that customized perimenopause strategy for your body.

I'm still also offering Chaos To Calm method, which is my high support personalized in depth program with the blood test analysis and personalized nutrition. And PerimenoGO, which is more of a self guided food first program designed for women in perimenopause and to help your body adapt to perimenopause.

Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. If you found this helpful, please make sure you follow the podcast wherever you're listening from. So you don't miss any future episodes and while you're there, please rate the podcast and leave a review. It helps more women find the podcast and transform their perimenopause from chaos to calm.

Until next time, keep focusing on what actually works and I'll see you in the next episode.