Perimenopause vs Menopause: The Missing Conversation in Women’s Health
For many women, menopause is the milestone everyone talks about, but perimenopause is where the real changes begin. It is also the stage most often overlooked.
Many women are told their symptoms are just stress or part of getting older. When sleep, moods, or weight suddenly shift in their late thirties or forties, they are rarely told these changes are linked to fluctuating hormones. Traditional healthcare often focuses on treating menopause once periods stop, leaving years of hormonal turbulence unaddressed.
At The Godley Clinic in Vancouver and Abbotsford, we take a more complete view. Understanding what is happening during both stages is the first step toward regaining balance and feeling well.
The Transition Begins: What Happens During Perimenopause
Perimenopause marks the gradual decline of ovarian function, often beginning as early as the mid thirties. The ovaries start producing less estrogen and progesterone, sometimes sharply, sometimes erratically, which disrupts the natural rhythm of your cycle.
As hormone levels rise and fall unpredictably, the body struggles to maintain stability. You might feel off even when lab results still fall within the normal range.
Common changes during perimenopause include:
Periods becoming irregular, heavier, or lighter
Night sweats and hot flashes that come and go
Fatigue and restless sleep
Mood swings or heightened anxiety
Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
Lower libido or vaginal dryness
These are not minor inconveniences. They are signals from your body that hormones are shifting. Ignoring them means missing the chance to stabilize health early and prevent symptoms from escalating.
Why Perimenopause Starts Younger and Feels More Intense Today
While the average age of menopause in Canada is around 51, perimenopause can begin up to a decade earlier. Genetics play a role, but lifestyle and stress are significant factors.
Today’s Canadian women face constant demands. Many are expected to maintain careers, manage households, and raise children, often with little rest or support. This ongoing pressure keeps cortisol levels elevated. High cortisol competes with sex hormones for production, which can lower progesterone, disrupt ovulation, and accelerate hormonal decline. Over time, this imbalance can cause perimenopausal symptoms to appear earlier and feel more intense.
The body is designed to adapt to occasional stress, not to live in survival mode every day. Chronic stress changes how the body prioritizes its resources, often at the expense of hormone health.
Menopause: The Next Chapter
Menopause officially begins when you have gone twelve consecutive months without a period. By this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs, and estrogen and progesterone levels stay consistently low.
While the rollercoaster of fluctuation ends, the lower hormone levels affect nearly every system in the body, including bone health, brain function, skin elasticity, metabolism, and mood.
Common changes during menopause include:
Persistent hot flashes and night sweats
Vaginal dryness and discomfort during intimacy
Thinning hair or dry skin
Slower metabolism and weight gain
Mood changes and disrupted sleep
Decreased bone density and muscle mass
It is a natural transition, but not one that should be endured without support. Hormone decline does not just affect reproduction. It affects overall health, vitality, and quality of life.
Why Perimenopause Deserves Medical Attention
For years, medicine treated menopause as the end rather than a transition that begins much earlier. But hormones start fluctuating long before periods stop, and these shifts have real physiological effects.
Dr. Mark Godley and his team see perimenopause as a time to act, not endure. Identifying early hormone shifts allows for timely treatment that supports clarity, mood, and long term health.
The Longevity Program at The Godley Clinic
At The Godley Clinic, hormone health is part of a broader approach to lasting wellness. The Longevity Program is designed to restore balance throughout the body, combining medical insight with regenerative care.
Each plan is customized and may include Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, IV nutrient support, and regenerative treatments that strengthen cellular repair. Lifestyle, nutrition, and stress management are also central to the program, helping patients regain energy, focus, and resilience.
Book your consultation in Vancouver or Abbotsford
Perimenopause and menopause are part of the same continuum, not separate events. One signals the body in transition, the other reflects a new hormonal balance. Both deserve understanding, not dismissal. Women are often told to wait it out or accept the changes as inevitable. At The Godley Clinic, we see this stage differently, as a time to restore balance and strengthen long term health.
Would you like to learn more about hormone health and the Longevity program? Book your consultation with Dr. Godley.
