When Your Body Feels Like a Rollercoaster: Understanding and Supporting Perimenopause
If your body feels like it’s all over the place in your late 30s or early 40s — your mood swings out of nowhere, your sleep feels off, or your energy just isn’t what it used to be — you’re not crazy. You might just be in perimenopause.
This is one of those transitions most women don’t see coming. We’re told that menopause happens later in life, but perimenopause — the in-between phase — can start years earlier than we realize. The thing is, your body isn’t broken. It’s just shifting. And once you understand what’s happening with your hormones, you can learn how to support your body through it instead of fighting against it.
What Exactly Is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the transitional period between your regular menstrual cycles and menopause. It can last up to 10 years and usually starts around age 40 — but many women notice changes in their mid-30s. During this time, your estrogen and progesterone levels start to fluctuate, which leads to symptoms like:
Irregular or missed periods
Hot flashes and night sweats
Vaginal dryness
Low libido
Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or depression
Sleep disturbances
Brain fog or lack of focus
These hormonal fluctuations can make you feel like a stranger in your own body. One week, you feel fine; the next, you’re crying in your car and wondering what’s wrong. But here’s the truth nothing is wrong with you. Your body is simply communicating that change is happening.
The Modern Perimenopause Problem
In today’s world, many women are entering perimenopause earlier than ever. And a big reason for that is environmental toxins and endocrine disruptors — chemicals that interfere with your hormones and confuse your body’s natural signals.
Endocrine disruptors are hiding everywhere:
In fragrances and candles
In your makeup and skincare
In laundry detergents and cleaning products
Even in plastic packaging and water bottles
These disruptors act like fake estrogen in your body. When your estrogen becomes too dominant compared to progesterone, you start noticing symptoms like mood swings, bloating, and painful periods.
So what can you do about it? Start small. You don’t have to throw away everything you own. Just begin by swapping out your daily-use items for low-tox or non-toxic alternatives. Replace your fragranced body lotion or candle with cleaner options when they run out. Over time, these little shifts make a big difference.
The Role of Stress and Cortisol
Let’s be real: most of us are juggling a lot. We’re building careers, running homes, raising families, and trying to keep it together. That kind of pressure keeps our stress hormone — cortisol — working overtime.
Cortisol gets a bad reputation, but it’s not the villain. We actually need it to wake up in the morning, stay alert, and handle challenges. The problem comes when cortisol stays elevated for too long. Chronic stress depletes your nutrients, dysregulates blood sugar, and throws your reproductive hormones completely out of balance.
You might notice that you’re constantly tired, can’t focus, or feel “wired but tired.” That’s a sign your cortisol rhythm is off.
Supporting your cortisol doesn’t require anything fancy — sometimes it’s as simple as slowing down. Take a full day to rest. Go outside in the morning sun. Practice breathwork. Move your body because you want to, not because you “should.” Those small acts of care signal safety to your nervous system — and that helps your hormones regulate themselves naturally.
What’s Really Going On Beneath the Symptoms
When women come to me with perimenopausal symptoms, they often say: “My labs came back normal, but I still don’t feel right.”
That’s because perimenopause isn’t something that always shows up clearly on a traditional blood test. There’s no one “diagnosis.” Instead, we look at what your symptoms are trying to tell you — and use functional lab testing to see what’s really happening beneath the surface.
Here are some of the most common root causes I see in my clients:
1. Nutrient Deficiencies
Chronic stress and poor absorption deplete vital nutrients like iron, magnesium, and B vitamins. I see so many women with low ferritin and low iron who have been prescribed supplements that don’t move the needle. Often, it’s not an iron deficiency — it’s an absorption issue.
2. Gut Health Imbalances
Your gut plays a massive role in hormone balance. If you have low stomach acid, gut infections, or overgrowths like Candida or H. pylori, you won’t absorb nutrients properly. Plus, an unhealthy gut can’t clear excess estrogen effectively, which leads to estrogen dominance and even more hormonal chaos.
3. Liver Overload
Your liver is your body’s detox hub — it processes hormones, toxins, and waste. But when it’s overwhelmed by alcohol, processed foods, or daily toxin exposure, it can’t do its job efficiently. Supporting your liver through diet, hydration, and rest is essential to hormone health.
4. Blood Sugar Dysregulation
This one’s huge. Irregular meals, poor sleep, and chronic stress all affect blood sugar balance. When blood sugar spikes and crashes all day, it drives insulin resistance — which raises androgens (like testosterone) and disrupts estrogen and progesterone. The result? Mood swings, fatigue, irritability, and even anxiety.
Practical Shifts That Make a Difference
If you’re reading this and thinking, “This is me,” take a deep breath. You don’t need to overhaul your entire life overnight. These small, doable steps can help you start feeling better right now:
Track your cycle. Even if it’s irregular, tracking gives you clarity about your body’s patterns.
Sweat it out. Exercise, sauna, or even a hot bath supports natural detoxification.
Eat your greens. Dark leafy vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and kale help your liver process estrogen.
Supplement smart. Magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin C support energy, stress resilience, and detoxification.
Support your sleep. Turn off screens before bed and consider magnesium flakes or a castor oil pack to relax your nervous system.
Focus on joy. Spend at least five minutes daily doing something that genuinely makes you happy — laughter, music, nature, connection.
When to Get Support
Perimenopause is normal. But struggling through symptoms that disrupt your life isn’t. If you’re calling off work, avoiding social events, or constantly feeling disconnected from your body, it’s time to get support.
Functional lab testing can give you clear answers — whether that’s identifying hormone imbalances with a Dutch Complete Test or uncovering gut issues with a GI MAP. From there, we can create a personalized plan that fits your body’s needs and helps you feel like you again.
Your Symptoms Are Not Random — They’re Readable
The biggest shift happens when you stop seeing your symptoms as problems and start seeing them as signals. Your body isn’t working against you. It’s communicating with you. Once you start listening and supporting it properly, everything changes — your energy, mood, confidence, and clarity.
You can feel grounded, vibrant, and at peace in your body again. And it starts by understanding what your body is asking for.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start getting real answers, explore functional lab testing or the Complete Root Cause Panel at organicallyglow.com.
🎧Listen to the full episode of Glow Social Hour, Episode 21: “Perimenopause Isn’t a Mystery: How to Navigate the Messy Middle with Hormone Support,” for the full conversation.