Before you go into full menopause, you will go through perimenopause, and this is the time you will have the most symptoms. One thing it can do is cause your moods to go on a roller coaster ride that you feel you cannot get off of. If you are feeling this way, read on. Below are some tips that may help you feel better and stop that emotional roller coaster.

Perimenopause

During perimenopause, your periods become irregular, and you may go through a few months without one only to start back again. During this time, you may experience hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, and mood swings. This is usually due to a change in your hormone levels. Up until this point, your body released a healthy amount of estrogen in your body. Once you start going through perimenopause, your eggs gradually start to make less estrogen. The average age when a woman enters perimenopause is 51, but you may start earlier or later than this.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help with your mood swings so you can get some relief.

Hormone Therapy

Visit your doctor as soon as you notice perimenopausal symptoms. They can do tests to check your hormone levels to see if you are low on estrogen. Three tests your doctor may perform on you are:

• Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH): The doctor will draw blood to test your FSH levels, as they increase during menopause.
• Estrogen: An estrogen test will tell the doctor if you are low on estrogen. This test is done by drawing blood.
• A pelvic exam. During this exam, they will look for vaginal atrophy, which is a good indicator of menopause.

If your doctor finds that you are low on estrogen, they may choose systemic hormone therapy. This comes in the form of a gel, pill, spray, or a skin patch. These products slowly introduce estrogen in your body. They can give you relief from mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats. It can also help with vaginal dryness.

Another type of therapy is low dose vaginal products. This therapy works well if your only symptom is vaginal dryness. It comes in a ring, tablet, or cream that is placed directly inside your vagina.

You need to explain to your family what is happening to you so they can understand what is going on. If they know nothing about perimenopause, give them the facts. They should know you will not be like this 100% of the time, and your symptoms will get better once you start getting treatment.