Perimenopause often starts quietly—a skipped period here, a hot flash there, a wave of anxiety or sleeplessness. It’s easy to brush off or feel confused by these changes. But at the center of it all is something powerful and real: the hormonal shift taking place in your body.
Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. During your reproductive years, four key hormones—estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH)—help maintain the relatively predictable rhythm of the menstrual cycle. But their impact goes far beyond reproduction, influencing nearly every function in your body, from mood to metabolism.
During perimenopause, hormones shift in unfamiliar and often overwhelming ways. Understanding these hormonal changes is the first step to feeling in control and connected to your body again.
Body temperature: Progesterone increases basal body temperature after ovulation, a key indicator of fertility.
Sleep quality: Estrogen supports deep, restful sleep. When levels drop, sleep can suffer.
Mood and cognition: Estrogen and progesterone influence key neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine.
Metabolism: Estrogen and progesterone help regulate energy use. As they decline, metabolism slows and weight gain becomes more common.
Heart rate variability: Fluctuations can occur during the luteal phase, when progesterone levels peak.
Hair health: Estrogen decline can shorten the hair growth phase. DHT, a form of testosterone, can cause follicles to shrink, leading to thinning.
Skin: When estrogen levels dip, skin can feel drier, thinner and more prone to fine lines and irritation.
