Perimenopause + High Blood Pressure
You guessed it, guys! This post is going to be aimed at the women out there.
That being said, some of you men might actually KNOW a woman that might benefit from reading this post!
You know, it's just not fair! Somewhere about midway through our teen years, us ladies have to deal with Aunt Flo (sorry if you really have an aunt named Flo!).
I've heard guys call it "on the rag" – Yuck!
I really liked the movie "Crimson Tide" but apparently, that's also another name for that time of the month. HA HA!
Now, on top of all that, we come to find out that we have to deal with perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause!
And guess what….
It can all contribute to high blood pressure.
What Is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the period (ha!) of time before menopause hits, and can be anywhere from a few months to the average length of four years or even longer.
It is caused by hormone changes: your ovaries make less estrogen, and finally stop releasing eggs.
How Will You Know You Are in Perimenopause?
Have you heard of women getting hot flashes so bad they got relief by sticking their heads in the freezer? You might have even seen a tv show or two making fun of that for some laughs!
That's one sign of perimenopause, altho that comes a lot more frequently during actual menopause.
I have to tell you, I was really lucky! I had been taking a nutritional drink pretty regularly for a while, so didn't have many symptoms other women have gone thru.
But even with the drink, I did find myself with my head in the freezer a couple of times!
This next symptom would be really annoying especially if you're having a hard time sleeping anyway. Some women wake up in cold sweats from hot flashes at night.
Here are symptoms you should be aware of:
- Hot flashes
- Irregular periods – that's a huge sign, since your hormones are bringing them gradually to a stop.
- Fatigue
- Vaginal dryness – can also cause pain during sex
- Trouble sleeping
- Mood swings – anger, depression, etc.
- Bone loss
- Cholesterol changes – LDL (Lousy) cholesterol increases and HDL (good) cholesterol decreases
Have you ever felt so angry, but you really couldn't figure out why?
That happened to me a few times and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why….that was the mood swing symptom kicking in for me.
One day I was just soooo angry for no good reason…so much so that I took off my glasses and twisted them to smithereens! Better than arguing, right? Good thing my eyes weren't very bad at the time!
When those anger fits kicked in, I even tried talking myself out of them, but it was like my body was not obeying what I was telling it to do! Soooo frustrating!!!
Luckily, they didn't last long, but my poor sons probably didn't know what was happening to their mom, because I didn't even know!
That was perimenopause holding up a sign saying "Hello! I'm here!"
So if you find yourself with uncontrollable anger, you might want to think about perimenopause as a cause.
When Does Perimenopause End?
You will know when you are finally through perimenopause when you haven't had any periods at all for a year.
Why Do Perimenopause and Menopause Affect Blood Pressure?
The changes in the hormones estrogen and progesterone can cause your blood vessels to become a bit stiffer, which makes it harder for your blood to get through as easily as before.
This along with the cholesterol changes not being on the positive side can cause blood pressure to rise and heart issues such as heart palpitations.
What Can You Do To Ease Perimenopause and Menopause Symptoms
While there are medicines that doctors can prescribe if need be, there are also other actions you can take to ease symptoms. As I mentioned earlier, there are foods you can eat and things you can do to help ease your symptoms.
- If you are overweight, lose a few pounds
- If you smoke, stop
- Lower the temperature in the rooms you are in by a couple degrees
- Get some exercise – altho it seems like it will heat you up, in the long run, it helps.
Hopefully, this information may have helped you see that there are ways to deal with perimenopause. Before you can deal with it though, you have to know you have it!