What support does my body need during Perimenopause?

“Perimenopause is confusing not because you’re doing something wrong, but because your hormones shift in ways most women were never taught to recognize.”

Perimenopause has a way of showing up without warning. One month everything feels manageable, and the next you’re dealing with anxiety that wasn’t there before, sleep that suddenly disappears, mood swings you can’t explain, or a body that feels unfamiliar. For many women, it’s the unpredictability that’s most unsettling not knowing what each day will bring or why your usual routines suddenly stop working.

This phase is misunderstood because most of us were never taught what perimenopause looks like, how long it lasts, or how dramatically fluctuating hormones can affect everything from your brain to your metabolism. Add in the noise online, the fads, quick fixes, conflicting advice and it becomes even harder to know what your body actually needs.

Let’s break this down in a way that helps you gain clarity, confidence, and direction.

Why Is It So Hard to Know What Your Body Needs Right Now?

Hormonal fluctuations create inconsistent symptoms.

Perimenopause isn’t a steady decline of estrogen. It’s a hormonal roller coaster.
Some months estrogen is high.
Some months it drops quickly.
Progesterone may be low or unpredictable.

This creates symptoms that feel random or inconsistent even though they’re connected to the same hormonal shifts.

This is why you might think you’ve “fixed” something… only to have it return two cycles later.

There is too much information and not enough context.

Online advice ranges from “cut carbs” to “only lift heavy weights” to “take these five supplements” to “go all-natural” to “go straight to hormones.”
It’s overwhelming and most of it ignores the bigger picture:
Your symptoms have a root cause, but not every solution matches every woman.

Without context, information becomes noise instead of clarity.

Medical guidance is inconsistent.

Most women report that:

• their symptoms are dismissed

• their labs are called “normal”

• perimenopause isn’t even mentioned

• they feel brushed off or confused

This happens because menopause and perimenopause education has been lacking in medical training for decades.

So women look online and often fall into a maze of misinformation.

So… What Does My Body Need During Perimenopause?

Your body needs direction, not more noise.
A few foundational areas help women feel grounded and informed, no matter what their symptoms are.

1. Understanding Your Patterns

Before making changes, it’s essential to understand what your body is doing.
Patterns reveal:

• triggers

• timing

• symptom clusters

• what’s hormonal vs. what’s lifestyle-related

• when symptoms intensify

Tracking isn’t about perfection, it’s about clarity.

Action step:
Use a simple notebook or my Perimenopause Action Plan to capture what’s happening.
This makes everything else easier.

2. Confidence to Speak Up

Advocacy is a skill and in perimenopause, it’s essential.
Your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously, and you deserve a provider who listens, understands hormonal changes, and is up to date on current science.

Confidence grows when you walk into appointments prepared.

Action step:
Make a list of your top 3 symptoms and how they affect your daily life.
This alone shifts the entire conversation with a provider.

3. Knowing What to Ask For

It’s hard to know where to start if you don’t know what’s available.
Many women don’t realize there are multiple evidence-based options, including:

• lifestyle changes

• targeted supplements

• non-hormonal medications

• progesterone support

• bioidentical hormones

• HRT (for those who are candidates)

• symptom-specific treatments

You are not limited to one approach.

Action step:
Ask your provider:

• “What options do I have based on my symptoms?”

• “What do you recommend for women in perimenopause?”

• “What else can we try if the first option doesn’t help?”

4. A Clear Starting Point

This is where women tend to feel the most lost because everything feels important and urgent.
But you don’t have to fix everything at once.

A starting point creates direction and momentum.
That’s why I created my quiz “What Support Does My Body Need in Perimenopause?”
It doesn’t diagnose.
It doesn’t overwhelm.
It simply points you toward the area that will give you the most relief right now.

Action step:
Take the quiz below to identify your next step and stop trying to do everything at once.

Final Thoughts: Clarity Before Strategy

Perimenopause isn’t chaos, it just feels that way when you don’t have the framework to understand it. Once you can see your patterns, speak with confidence, know your options, and choose a clear starting point, your entire experience shifts.

If you’d like to keep learning and get ongoing support:

• Take the quiz for direction

• Download the Perimenopause Action Plan

• Explore the articles on my website

• Join my newsletter at DrJaimeLynne.com for weekly, science-backed guidance

You don’t need every answer.
You just need the right one to start.