I’m going to guess you’re not ready for perimenopause since there is a general lack of information on this subject and if you are, you’re in the minority, well done. I decided to write this blog after a conversation I had on the Guardian newspaper comment thread about their article:

Surviving Perimenopause: I was overwhelmed and full of rage. Why was I so badly prepared?

It’s a good question, why are women generally so badly prepared for a guaranteed life event that will completely transform their lives and who they are?

Change the hormones and re-write the woman - Sarah Hill Ph.D

I’m in my late 30s and I am not taking any chances, I have been researching this inevitable life event for a couple of years, for myself and my clients; many of whom come to me in that perimenopausal phase completely shocked and feeling betrayed by their bodies. I read books, listen to podcasts, join online summits and seminars and follow people who are researching this subject. Rather than say “this is my research and this is what I think you should do”, I have decided instead to share a list of some of the resources that have helped me define my own personal ‘perimenopause plan’, because let’s face it, we women are always being told what to do and how to do it by teams of ‘experts’, and we get thrown from pillar to post feeling disenfranchised from our own body experience.

• Start tracking your cycle now with a period tracking app: I use Clue, it’s free and a great resource. I have also used Flo which is paid but also brilliant. Make sure to get a thermometer to track temperature across the month as this is where we get the real information about when we are or aren’t ovulating. Don’t bother getting an expensive one off the app, a thermometer is a thermometer at the end of the day. If there is just one resource I suggest you use from this list it’s this as this will give you so much insight into your own body, and the Dr can’t argue.
  

• Dr Stacy Sims is a research scientist who is focusing all of her research on training women’s bodies. She really goes into the hormonal experience and is about to release a new book on menopause. Her existing book ROAR, focused on the female physique and training, is available to buy. Watch her Ted Talk.
  

• Dr Lara Briden known as ‘The Period Revolutionary’, she has a lot of content out on the internet and her newsletter is fantastic. She is focused on all aspects of the female hormonal experience. Buy her book The Period Repair Manual .
  

• This podcast by the brilliant Dr Peter Attia was an eye opener:

  Avrum Bluming, M.D. and Carol Tavris, Ph.D.: Controversial topic affecting all women—the role of hormone replacement therapy through menopause and beyond—the compelling case for long-term HRT and dispelling the myth that it causes breast cancer
  

• Dr Jolene Brighten: I have attended a free online summit about menopause and listened to a few podcasts she guested on. She recently interviewed for Dave Asprey on Bullet Proof Radio. Also listen to episode 665 with Sarah Hill Ph.D: the birth control episode.
  

• Mansoor Mohammed Ph.D is in the realms of DNA and how our genetics affect our hormones. He claims he can look at a woman and tell her what type of perimenopausal symptoms she will experience. This is a relatively new science but it’s mind blowing.

I’d like to communicate that I don’t necessarily subscribe to all of the views expressed by all of these people, but would rather hope to encourage a sense of curiosity and exploration so you can figure out the best path for you. I’d love to hear from you if this list helped and please share it with your friends, since there is so much misunderstanding and ignorance around perimenopause, and this must be rectified on a societal level.