At this point, you are on the roller coaster. Welcome, friend! Knowing what’s happening is half the battle. Now that you know, you can actually do something about it.
The Core Pillars of the Perimenopause Matrix™ support your health and create the foundation for any amplifiers you use—supplements, medication, HRT/MRT. Being in better health makes those interventions more effective.
Track Your Cycles (Yes, Even the Wonky Ones!)
Tracking your cycles can be incredibly helpful here. Your period and any symptoms are useful clues about what’s happening inside your body. As we discussed in the last article, there are no diagnostic tests—only symptoms and patterns. The more information you can give your practitioner, the easier their job becomes.
There are plenty of apps you can use to track, or you can go old-school with a notebook (my personal favorite since I learned to chart). I enjoy putting pen to paper and taking a few minutes before the day gets going to focus on what’s happening in my body.
The patterns and symptoms you experience really drive the nuanced care you receive – which supplements or medications work best for you. The good news? All of your hormones love the care our 6 pillars provide!
The 6 Pillars That Your Hormones Actually Love
Fuel – Fiber and Healthy Fats Are Your New Best Friends
For hormone love, fiber and healthy fats are the name of the game! We want healthy fats to help make hormones and fiber to help them move through the excretion process. Estrogen especially can build up and cause more symptoms when there isn’t enough fiber to help escort excess out of the body through good, healthy poops. (Yes, we’re talking about poop—it matters!)
Move – Your Body Wants Movement (Any Movement!)
Your body wants you to move, and it matters more that you do move than what you do. Can we get nitty-gritty and optimal about this? Absolutely! But let’s start with finding something you enjoy, and we can add on later.
You do not need to change your workouts with your cycle unless you want to. There isn’t much evidence to support this, but your personal “n of one” (you!) is the only data that matters. I’ve had some of my PRs (Personal Records) on my period. Other people really enjoy rotating their movement to match their cycles. Do what feels good for your body—the most important thing is finding movement you enjoy. No idea where to start? Try walking or dancing—they’re free and easy to experiment with.
Recharge – Sleep Is When Your Body Makes Repairs
When we don’t get enough sleep, we feel more anxious, hungrier, more stressed, foggier, more irritated, and less productive. Think about the last time you had a significantly worse-than-normal night of sleep—were you a nice person the next day?
Sleep issues are extremely common in perimenopause, and this phase of life is particularly ripe for multiple wakings and early waking. Sleep hygiene matters here: cold, dark, quiet room and routine—same bedtime EVERY single day of the week, same wake time. Tracking your sleep issues can help a practitioner make recommendations. There are plenty of ways to support this with behavior changes, supplements, or medications. Sleep is such a foundational piece that it’s often one of the first things I address with my clients.
Regulate – Time to Use All Those Stress Management Tips
This is when it’s time to take all of those suggestions from your friends and Instagram influencers about stress management. There’s no way to remove stress from our lives, and honestly, you wouldn’t want that. Happy and sad would mean nothing without each other. Stress can be a challenge, and we can learn to thrive in challenges.
Perimenopause, especially the early stages, is when stress goes up and so does anxiety because our HPA axis gets dysregulated with the hormonal fluctuations. I like to think about making our stress cups bigger (building stress resilience). If you’re working with an espresso shot-sized cup, you’re going to feel that stress with the smallest incident. If you have a venti stress cup, we have a lot of room to work with!
Meditation, prayer, mindfulness, hypnosis, and breathwork practices done regularly are one way to increase the size of your stress cup. They’re like maintenance. You can use all of those practices in the moment to regulate yourself when something stressful happens, but that’s an in-the-moment solution, not building your overall resilience. Explore some options and find what works for you.
Connect – Friend Time Is Non-Negotiable
Have you ever been so busy that when a friend asks for a date you say you can’t because you don’t have time? This is your permission to MAKE time. Your health matters. Your connections matter. Community, friends, family, confidants (your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidant—anyone else singing that song now?).
You will be healthier, happier, and far more productive after some friend time. Bonus points for hugs—oxytocin is amazing. Trust me, you want some.
Clean – Your Body’s Environment Matters
Let’s think about the environment of your body. We want it to look like a World Heritage site, not a Superfund site. Today we’re going deep into Clean for the vagina because it’s often overlooked or missed due to cultural norms and taboos. Fair warning: the word “vagina” appears A LOT in the rest of this article.
A Little Anatomy Lesson (Don’t Worry, It’s Quick!)
The vulva is the external part of your body you can see—the lips. Your vagina is inside, and you cannot see it. Your GYN uses a speculum during your annual check-up to look inside your vagina.
Rule #1 for Vaginal and Hormonal Health
If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, it has no business being in your vagina.
Your vagina is very tightly regulated, self-cleaning, and has a very specific pH cycle that fluctuates with your menstrual cycle and changes the flora inside. Douches, washes, and deodorants disrupt the pH and natural biome and can lead to infections. DO NOT use them!
You are not a teenage girl—please don’t get sucked into the marketing machine telling young people their vagina should smell like cotton candy. If your vagina smells like cotton candy, please seek medical assistance immediately! Your vagina is a vagina and should smell like one. If you have a foul odor, then you should see your GYN to rule out infection. Your body actually uses your vaginal scent to attract mates! It’s primal, I know, and I apologize if all this vagina talk makes you uncomfortable, but as a vagina owner, you should understand how it works.
What Actually Belongs in There (And What Doesn’t)
Now that we can all agree that our vaginas—the internal part of our organ—don’t need washing, let’s talk about what other things might belong in there (or not).
Period Management
- Silicone cups: I love a silicone diva cup! They’re great for me, but some women dislike them. If you use one, make sure to boil it before you start, wash it regularly, and boil it between cycles. I store mine in a cotton bag inside a mesh bag to keep it breathable and clean between uses.
- Tampons: Make sure they’re organic—this is not a place where you want herbicides, pesticides, and chemicals. The walls of your vagina are very absorbent and can easily take in those chemicals if you aren’t using organic products.
- Pads: These aren’t inside your body but are hugging it pretty closely, so finding organic ones without herbicides, pesticides, and chemicals is a must.
The Truth About Period Underwear
There was a lot of negative press about plastic in period underwear. The truth is, any fabric you purchase that has elastic for stretch most likely has a plastic-based material providing that stretch. So unless you’re going full medieval times, you’re probably not going to rid yourself of all plastic touching your body. You can make a conscious effort to purchase natural fabrics for most of your clothes, but underwear is particularly challenging unless you like boxers (then you’re in the clear). I’m not a fan—I find them extremely uncomfortable and don’t like how they fit under pants.
Fun Things
Yes to all the fun things you want to do with your vagina! Just remember: toys, fingers, mouths, penises, or other body parts should be washed first. Mouths can have a saltwater rinse—you don’t want Listerine in your vagina (or your mouth, for that matter)!
Lube
We want clean lubes that won’t disrupt the vaginal microbiome or make your vagina more susceptible to infections. Avoid glycerines, parabens, phthalates, PFAS, and all the other nasty things you don’t want in other self-care products. Again, Rule #1: if you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, it doesn’t belong in your vagina.
Start Small, Think Big
Remember, these 6 pillars aren’t just nice-to-haves – they’re the foundation that makes everything else work better. Whether you’re considering supplements, exploring HRT, or working with a practitioner, your body will respond better when these basics are in place. Think of them as the soil that helps everything else grow. You wouldn’t plant a garden in concrete and expect it to thrive, right? Same principle here.
Start with one pillar that feels most doable right now. Maybe it’s adding more fiber to your breakfast or setting a consistent bedtime. Small, consistent changes compound over time. And remember – you’re not broken, you’re not dramatic, and you’re definitely not alone in this. Your body is just asking for what it needs to support you through this transition.
Ready to understand exactly what’s happening with your hormones behind the scenes? Check out our companion article on What’s Really Happening with Your Hormones and Why Your Doctor Might be Missing it. Knowledge is power, and you deserve to understand your own body.
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