The Phoenix Phase - My Personal Perimenopause Journey (so far!)
One of the most wonderful things about this stage of life right now is that so many more people are talking about perimenopause. Compared to just 10 years ago, there’s a world of difference. A friend of mine who went through it a decade ago told me she thought she was going crazy—because there was little openness, hardly any conversation, and certainly not the amount of information and community we have access to today. Now we know: you’re not crazy, you’re not broken, no need to check yourself into a hospital just yet...you’re just transitioning!
Symptoms We Know About (and the Ones We Don’t)
Most women know the main symptoms of perimenopause—irregular or heavy periods, hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, weight changes, and sleep issues. But there are also a host of “weird” symptoms people don’t often associate with perimenopause: itchy skin, itchy ears (did you know we have oestrogen receptors IN OUR EARS!?) dizziness (I honestly thought I had a brain tumour for a time due to my sudden onset of dizziness!), heart palpitations, joint and muscle pain, increased anxiety, brain fog, and even a heightened sensitivity to stress or alcohol. Knowing the full picture helps us feel less blindsided when these things crop up.
My Timeline
For me, noticeable symptoms started at about 43, I'm now nearly 48. At first, my periods became heavier. Then they started stretching longer and arriving at odd intervals—day 26, day 30—when I’d been reliably every 28 days since forever. A few years in, the bleeding was really getting to me. I even had one cycle that lasted 20 days. That’s when I finally saw a gynaecologist.
A scan revealed a large fibroid (a benign growth in the uterus that can cause heavy bleeding). So I booked in for a hysteroscopy D&C (a procedure where a small camera is used to look inside the uterus while growths like fibroids or polyps are surgically removed and the D & C is a dilation and curettage which is cleaning up the tissue and removing anything that may be contributing to extra bleeding) and I also decided to get a Mirena insertion (a hormonal IUD that releases progesterone to help lighten bleeding).
But my next three periods after the procedure were still heavy. You’re told to wait at least three months for things to settle, but when I went back to my gyno, we discovered the Mirena was gone. I must have bled it out without ever realising! This can happen especially if you have large clots which I definitely did!
So the next step for me was bio-identical progesterone in the form of Prometrium. I was really hesitant but gave it a try—and it did help. My periods shortened to about seven days, my sleep improved, and my joints and muscles felt less achy. But the periods were still too heavy.
The Iron Rollercoaster
Around this time, I had my iron tested. It was down to 12 µg/L (normal iron stores for women are usually between 30–200 µg/L). No wonder I was exhausted! I booked in for an iron infusion, which I was nervous about after hearing some less than favourable stories (Iron flu!??), but mine went smoothly. The energy boost was very welcome!
Trying Endometrial Ablation
Because my bleeding was still too heavy, the next step was an endometrial ablation (a procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus to reduce or even stop periods). Some women never get periods again after ablation, but in my case, they continued—lighter, yes, but not gone. Still, it brought me closer to “pre-perimenopause” levels, which was some relief. My GP made me laugh by terming my very 'bleedy' uterus, an angry uterus! 😆
Yep, my body is now a sauna...
What Else!?
Ok so with the bleeding chat out of the way, my other BIG things during this time have brain fog and memory issues. Omg, this symptom kills me! When you are mid sentence in an important conversation and you lose all train of thought or forget a word like spoon? Seriously!? And don't get me started on trying to recall movie names, book titles, actors, song names or anything I used to recall so easily and now have to rely on bloody google! For someone who loves words and names and places a lot of emphasis on them...to lose them out of my memory library has been so insulting!!
The weight gain has also been hard as well as the heightened anxiety but the unmasking of my brain type has been an unexpected relief....
ADHD, Hormones, and Dopamine
About 2 years ago (so around 45) another layer of perimenopause showed up for me. As progesterone drops, it can affect dopamine regulation in the brain. For many women, this “unmasks” ADHD symptoms that were previously under the radar. And it wasn't so much that they were completely unknown or under the radar I guess...more because I had a lifetime of practice of masking and working around my 'neurospiciness' that just got too difficult to mask anymore. So yep, I suddenly felt like another poster girl for an ADHD woman in perimenopause and that has been such a relief and something I have fully embraced. The shame and the confusion of why some things had been so hard for me my whole life have now gone. Clarity, understanding and self compassion have taken their place which has been amazing. You can read more of my recent journey of this understanding HERE
What’s Helping Me Now
Being a naturopath, I have always taken quite a lot of herbs and supplements to support my hormones and ADHD. But now, I’m also incredibly grateful for the role Prometrium (progesterone) and Vyvanse (for ADHD) play in keeping me more balanced. And emotionally, I wouldn’t be without my Female Support Pack—the flower essence blends in this pack have become my go-to companions through this stage of my life. And Sweet Dreams is also my best friend as I've never been a great sleeper so I'm never without that one on my bed stand either.
And I take a lot of my own advice these days (not as easy as it sounds!) and do many emotional health support activities. I wrote another blog a while back called Emotional Support Through Perimenopause which you can read HERE
I have also handed my healthcare over to a naturopath other than me! Should have done this years ago as self prescribing isn't always a great idea. I've been asked to share what I take but I don't want anyone to think that this is their fix too...our hormones and our individual health concerns are very obviously not a one size fits all approach so I would much rather advise you to see a naturopath at this stage of your life! It's crucial to have extra support at the moment and if you need any recommendations for a naturopath in your area or to see one via online consult, please get in touch with me via my website or socials.
Becoming Someone New
Here’s the beautiful part: our brains are actually rewiring during perimenopause. We are literally becoming new people, preparing for the next stage of life. Yes, the transition can be rocky, but it’s not a downfall—it’s an upgrade. We come out of this wiser, clearer, and with a whole lot less tolerance for things that don’t matter. We’re levelling up, ready to show our children (and the world) what it looks like to live fully, fearlessly, and with all the wisdom these years have given us.
So while perimenopause may test us, it also transforms us—and that is something to celebrate.
This stage of life is being called many things like - 'second spring' 'your wise woman era' and a personal fave - 'cougar puberty' which makes me smile...but I like to think of it more as evolving into our very best selves. All the lessons and the grit and the wisdom and (literally) a whole new brain!
So yay for the Phoenix Phase and yay for more open conversations, more understanding, more research and more information about what we are going through. So if you are sweaty, forgetful, angry, itchy, sore and exhausted, know that this is just your time in the fire from which you will rise as your more evolved 2.0 self.
Stand tall, stand proud and take no prisoners!
Alisha x
The Phoenix Phase - My Personal Perimenopause Journey (so far!)
One of the most wonderful things about this stage of life right now is that so many more people are talking about perimenopause. Compared to just 10 years ago, there’s a world of difference. A friend of mine who went through it a decade ago told me she thought she was going crazy—because there was little openness, hardly any conversation, and certainly not the amount of information and community we have access to today. Now we know: you’re not crazy, you’re not broken, no need to check yourself into a hospital just yet...you’re just transitioning!
Symptoms We Know About (and the Ones We Don’t)
Most women know the main symptoms of perimenopause—irregular or heavy periods, hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, weight changes, and sleep issues. But there are also a host of “weird” symptoms people don’t often associate with perimenopause: itchy skin, itchy ears (did you know we have oestrogen receptors IN OUR EARS!?) dizziness (I honestly thought I had a brain tumour for a time due to my sudden onset of dizziness!), heart palpitations, joint and muscle pain, increased anxiety, brain fog, and even a heightened sensitivity to stress or alcohol. Knowing the full picture helps us feel less blindsided when these things crop up.
My Timeline
For me, noticeable symptoms started at about 43, I'm now nearly 48. At first, my periods became heavier. Then they started stretching longer and arriving at odd intervals—day 26, day 30—when I’d been reliably every 28 days since forever. A few years in, the bleeding was really getting to me. I even had one cycle that lasted 20 days. That’s when I finally saw a gynaecologist.
A scan revealed a large fibroid (a benign growth in the uterus that can cause heavy bleeding). So I booked in for a hysteroscopy D&C (a procedure where a small camera is used to look inside the uterus while growths like fibroids or polyps are surgically removed and the D & C is a dilation and curettage which is cleaning up the tissue and removing anything that may be contributing to extra bleeding) and I also decided to get a Mirena insertion (a hormonal IUD that releases progesterone to help lighten bleeding).
But my next three periods after the procedure were still heavy. You’re told to wait at least three months for things to settle, but when I went back to my gyno, we discovered the Mirena was gone. I must have bled it out without ever realising! This can happen especially if you have large clots which I definitely did!
So the next step for me was bio-identical progesterone in the form of Prometrium. I was really hesitant but gave it a try—and it did help. My periods shortened to about seven days, my sleep improved, and my joints and muscles felt less achy. But the periods were still too heavy.
The Iron Rollercoaster
Around this time, I had my iron tested. It was down to 12 µg/L (normal iron stores for women are usually between 30–200 µg/L). No wonder I was exhausted! I booked in for an iron infusion, which I was nervous about after hearing some less than favourable stories (Iron flu!??), but mine went smoothly. The energy boost was very welcome!
Trying Endometrial Ablation
Because my bleeding was still too heavy, the next step was an endometrial ablation (a procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus to reduce or even stop periods). Some women never get periods again after ablation, but in my case, they continued—lighter, yes, but not gone. Still, it brought me closer to “pre-perimenopause” levels, which was some relief. My GP made me laugh by terming my very 'bleedy' uterus, an angry uterus! 😆
Yep, my body is now a sauna...
What Else!?
Ok so with the bleeding chat out of the way, my other BIG things during this time have brain fog and memory issues. Omg, this symptom kills me! When you are mid sentence in an important conversation and you lose all train of thought or forget a word like spoon? Seriously!? And don't get me started on trying to recall movie names, book titles, actors, song names or anything I used to recall so easily and now have to rely on bloody google! For someone who loves words and names and places a lot of emphasis on them...to lose them out of my memory library has been so insulting!!
The weight gain has also been hard as well as the heightened anxiety but the unmasking of my brain type has been an unexpected relief....
ADHD, Hormones, and Dopamine
About 2 years ago (so around 45) another layer of perimenopause showed up for me. As progesterone drops, it can affect dopamine regulation in the brain. For many women, this “unmasks” ADHD symptoms that were previously under the radar. And it wasn't so much that they were completely unknown or under the radar I guess...more because I had a lifetime of practice of masking and working around my 'neurospiciness' that just got too difficult to mask anymore. So yep, I suddenly felt like another poster girl for an ADHD woman in perimenopause and that has been such a relief and something I have fully embraced. The shame and the confusion of why some things had been so hard for me my whole life have now gone. Clarity, understanding and self compassion have taken their place which has been amazing. You can read more of my recent journey of this understanding HERE
What’s Helping Me Now
Being a naturopath, I have always taken quite a lot of herbs and supplements to support my hormones and ADHD. But now, I’m also incredibly grateful for the role Prometrium (progesterone) and Vyvanse (for ADHD) play in keeping me more balanced. And emotionally, I wouldn’t be without my Female Support Pack—the flower essence blends in this pack have become my go-to companions through this stage of my life. And Sweet Dreams is also my best friend as I've never been a great sleeper so I'm never without that one on my bed stand either.
And I take a lot of my own advice these days (not as easy as it sounds!) and do many emotional health support activities. I wrote another blog a while back called Emotional Support Through Perimenopause which you can read HERE
I have also handed my healthcare over to a naturopath other than me! Should have done this years ago as self prescribing isn't always a great idea. I've been asked to share what I take but I don't want anyone to think that this is their fix too...our hormones and our individual health concerns are very obviously not a one size fits all approach so I would much rather advise you to see a naturopath at this stage of your life! It's crucial to have extra support at the moment and if you need any recommendations for a naturopath in your area or to see one via online consult, please get in touch with me via my website or socials.
Becoming Someone New
Here’s the beautiful part: our brains are actually rewiring during perimenopause. We are literally becoming new people, preparing for the next stage of life. Yes, the transition can be rocky, but it’s not a downfall—it’s an upgrade. We come out of this wiser, clearer, and with a whole lot less tolerance for things that don’t matter. We’re levelling up, ready to show our children (and the world) what it looks like to live fully, fearlessly, and with all the wisdom these years have given us.
So while perimenopause may test us, it also transforms us—and that is something to celebrate.
This stage of life is being called many things like - 'second spring' 'your wise woman era' and a personal fave - 'cougar puberty' which makes me smile...but I like to think of it more as evolving into our very best selves. All the lessons and the grit and the wisdom and (literally) a whole new brain!
So yay for the Phoenix Phase and yay for more open conversations, more understanding, more research and more information about what we are going through. So if you are sweaty, forgetful, angry, itchy, sore and exhausted, know that this is just your time in the fire from which you will rise as your more evolved 2.0 self.
Stand tall, stand proud and take no prisoners!
Alisha x
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