LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Perimenopause is a phase of a woman’s life where the hormone estrogen drops or fluctuates, which can cause significant symptoms and impact your quality of life. 

This usually starts happening to women between the ages of 40 to 50 years old, but every woman’s experience is individual and symptoms can present themselves sooner or later.   

It’s a topic that was once considered taboo in conversation, but unlike in the past, perimenopause is drawing new attention, with younger generations leading the way.

Claire Brown is a woman who suffered from several perimenopause symptoms.

“I started having a lot of hair loss. I started having a lot of fatigue. My nails started rippling and cracking,” she described.

When she was 40 years old, Claire was busy enjoying life as a mom of two and a real estate agent when she began noticing these unusual symptoms. But she also had a secret.

“I was very deficient in a lot of vitamins, and then my thyroid was zapped. And all of that can lead to a lot of depression over a long period of time,” she said. “Then I was so exhausted. I was sleeping anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a night but then falling asleep sitting up during the day.”  

Claire went to multiple doctors but said they would treat her symptoms, without finding out enough information about her body, as a whole.

Then, she found Dr. Jill Jennings, an OB/GYN physician with Baptist Health.

“She spent over an hour with me, and she listened to all of my symptoms, wrote them all down, and then said, ‘This is what I think we’re dealing with,'” Claire recalled. 

Dr. Jennings is among only a handful of providers in Arkansas who is also a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner. She said that stories like Claire’s remind her of how much attention is given to women before they have children, rather than later in life.  

“We are very focused on the reproductive years,” Dr. Jennings said. “So, okay, you’re starting to have periods, and then you’re going on starting to have babies, but then it’s like, once you’re done with babies, your care doesn’t stop. You don’t stop being a woman, having hopes and dreams, and wanting to care for your family and feel good. I mean, we spend about 40% of our life in menopause, and so, we want those years to feel good.” 

Claire said she wasn’t prepared for the often random symptoms that can come from perimenopause. She had heard stories about the changes in a woman’s body but had no concrete knowledge of what to expect. 

“All I had known was that I’m gonna gain weight, I’m never gonna have sex again,” she said “I mean, all these things, and that everything’s gonna dry up in my body. I’m gonna have to slather myself with lotion for the rest of my life.”  

Dr. Jennings points out that menopause is defined as the first day a woman goes 12 months without having a period. That means menopause is really one single day.

She said it’s the symptoms of perimenopause, which is the time before the transition, and post-menopause, are what can cause so much suffering for anywhere from a few years to a decade.

The National Library of Medicine lists the most common and debilitating symptoms of perimenopause as irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes and night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood changes, vaginal dryness and sexual discomfort, and cognitive changes known as “brain fog”. 

Claire said the treatment plan she and Dr. Jennings created had her feeling back to normal, quickly.

“It’s made the hugest difference because I truly am a whole new person. Just within three months of starting all those treatments,” she said. 

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences operates a healthcare center called the UAMS Midtown Women’s Clinic. 

Dr. Alexis White, a Board-Certified OB/GYN, and Certified Provider with the North American Menopause Society, is on the staff. She said she’s thrilled to see millennials or any generation embracing the many years of life, beyond reproduction.

“It’s wonderful that people are making this a very normal thing to talk about because it is a normal thing to talk about. When we have taboos or feelings that things are awkward, then we are more likely to suffer in silence,” Dr White said. “So, when we have outlets like social media where people can share what their experiences are, you also have that sense of community that I’m not alone, and sometimes that helps give you the tools of which to ask your provider questions.”

Dr. White said she hopes conversations about the physical symptoms women experience will open more doors for even deeper dialogues about a woman’s right to feel good about herself, regardless of her age. She reminds women that there is nothing that’s off-limits with your provider.

“There is no weird question. There’s no question that we would judge you for. And if you don’t feel comfortable if you don’t have that relationship with your provider, then it’s okay to look for a new provider,” said Dr. White. 

Claire agreed, saying she’s no longer afraid to ask hard questions about her experience. She realized, that when she feels well, she’s much better for her family and friends. 

“I think so many topics have been taboo for women in generations past, and because of that, now we’re opening those conversations to one, research them,” she said. “Then two, to educate ourselves about them. And then three, we’re opening that conversation to empower ourselves to act on it and do something about it.”  

Claire has also founded a non-profit website with resources for women in Arkansas and beyond, which you can find here.