Perimenopause: What No One Prepares You For

Date Read 4 minutes
Perimenopause: What No One Prepares You For

We’ve been taught to expect menopause “someday.” But what most women aren’t taught is that the hormonal rollercoaster often begins long before menopause actually arrives. It’s called perimenopause, and for many women, it starts in their late 30s to early 40s.

If you’ve been feeling off emotionally, physically or hormonally, but haven’t been able to pinpoint why, you’re not imagining things. This blog is here to walk you through what perimenopause really looks like, why it happens, and what you can do to support your body and mind through the transition.

What Is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause means “around menopause.” It’s the gradual hormonal shift that leads up to menopause, when your body starts producing less estrogen and progesterone. But this transition isn’t always slow or predictable. For many of us, it’s an up-and-down experience that can feel both frustrating and confusing.

Perimenopause typically begins between ages 35 and 45, though some women notice changes earlier. It can last anywhere from 4 to 10 years before your periods stop completely and you officially reach menopause (which is defined as 12 months without a period).

Let’s talk about the things most women aren’t warned about:

  • 😡 Mood swings, irritability, or unexplained anxiety

  • 🧠 Brain fog, forgetfulness, lack of focus

  • 🌡️ Hot flushes or night sweats

  • 🔁 Irregular or heavy periods, intense PMS

  • 💤 Trouble sleeping or staying asleep

  • 🔥 Cravings and blood sugar crashes

  • ❤️ Low libido and vaginal dryness

  • 🧂 Weight gain (especially around the middle)

  • 💪 Joint pain, fatigue, and dry skin

It’s a long list because your hormones affect nearly every part of your body, not just your period.

Why It Feels So Unpredictable

During perimenopause, estrogen levels fluctuate wildly, some days high, some days low. You may feel totally fine one week and completely off the next.

Here’s what’s going on:

  • Estrogen surges can trigger bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings, and anxiety.

  • Estrogen drops can bring on night sweats, low energy, and poor sleep.

  • Progesterone, which helps keep you calm and balanced, steadily declines, adding to the imbalance.

This isn’t a gentle slope, it’s a hormonal seesaw that can leave even the most put-together woman wondering, “Is this just me?”

So, What Can You Do?

This isn’t about “fixing” your body, it’s about supporting it. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are tools that can ease the transition.

That’s why we created the Jooce Menopause Bundle, the toolkit to help calm the chaos and bring your body back into rhythm.

What’s Inside the Bundle:

1. Meno Balance

  • Adaptogens like ashwagandha and chasteberry to balance mood and cortisol

  • Magnesium + B-vitamins to calm your nervous system and ease tension

  • Botanicals to help reduce hot flushes, night sweats, and emotional swings

2. Magic Maca

A powerful Peruvian root used for centuries to:

  • Boost energy and fight fatigue (without caffeine)

  • Support your libido and hormonal vitality

  • Promote mood stability and resilience

3. Estro Balance

When estrogen gets too high (which it often does in perimenopause), this gentle blend of:

  • DIM + dandelion root helps your liver clear excess estrogen

  • Supports healthy cycles, reduces bloating, and eases breast tenderness

This Isn’t “Just Life”, It’s Perimenopause

Too often, women are told their symptoms are “just stress” or “just aging”.

You don’t have to push through, suffer in silence, or settle for feeling “off”. Whether you’re managing brain fog, restless sleep, mood changes, or energy dips, you deserve support that actually works with your hormones.

Start by:

  • Tracking your symptoms

  • Learning what your body needs

  • Using the tools that honour this new phase

Explore the Jooce community, made for women navigating this shift, with products that speak to what you’re really going through.

References:

  1. https://thepauselife.com/blogs/the-pause-blog/perimenopause-101?srsltid=AfmBOookfN039SSQQ3Hoqnw2DFgDoLqcJ4TVfsdVofK6ISbW7MP4ZlrW  
  2. https://www.mainlinehealth.org/blog/perimenopause-causes-pandemonium  
  3. https://blog.swedish.org/swedish-blog/you-can-thrive-not-just-survive-during-perimenopause-and-menopause  
  4. https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/first-signs-of-perimenopause  
  5. https://myacare.com/blog/12-perimenopause-symptoms-that-no-one-talks-about-and-how-to-deal-with-them