Gyno Groupie

The truth is, we’re all at different stages of our lives as women.  Several of my friends, sisters, and I are at this very interesting time in our lives, the menopausal transition, and yes, just beginning to meet, “Ms. PeriMenopause” for the first time ourselves.  Our 40-50 yo ‘girl-talk’ usually ends up with some discussion around the topics of hot flashes, or how much more difficult it is now to lose weight.

But what’s less often spoken of amongst my friends, are the symptoms of mood swings and irritability, which can also be symptoms of the peri-menopausal transition.  Have you seen yourself go from ‘zero-sixty’ in irritability (or anger), or get easily tearful over things that you know before wouldn’t have upset you so easily?  Well I certainly have.  Hopefully this bit of information will help you to understand some of the hormonal and emotional shifts that can occur in the perimenopause, giving us some control over that feeling of our ‘raging’ hormones...

Not uncommonly,  patients present with irregularities in their menstrual period, irritability or mood swings, bloating, fluid retention or weight gain, hot flashes, or decreased libido…wondering if their ‘hormones are out of balance’?  Unfortunately, there’s not always an easy answer to that question, but as Gynecologists, it does cause us to consider two common ‘hormonal’ conditions that could explain such symptoms:  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and the Perimenopause.