Perimenopause doesn’t arrive with a clear warning. It doesn’t begin with your last period or come marked on the calendar.
For many women, it starts quietly – missed cycles here and there, restless nights, a creeping sense of tiredness that doesn’t seem to lift. Then come the physical shifts: hot flushes, mood swings, weight gain, and changes in the way your body responds to stress or food.
This transitional stage, which can begin years before menopause, often catches women off guard. Understanding what’s happening – and how to manage it – is key.
At BioID Health, we work with women every day to identify and treat the underlying hormonal imbalances behind perimenopause symptoms, helping them feel more in control of their bodies again.
In this blog, we’ll look at how to recognise the signs of perimenopause, what symptoms to look out for, how blood testing can help, and the support available through our personalised bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
The Basics: What Is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the term used to describe the time leading up to menopause.
It usually begins in your 40s, but some women experience symptoms much earlier.
During this time, the ovaries start to slow production of oestrogen and progesterone. These fluctuations can lead to a wide range of symptoms – some obvious, others more subtle.
No two women go through this process in the same way. Some breeze through with minimal disruption. Others find the changes profoundly affect their daily lives, from energy levels and mood to their ability to concentrate and sleep. The symptoms can be mild or, in some cases, genuinely debilitating.
Perimenopause Symptoms to Watch Out For
Some signs of perimenopause are familiar. Others aren’t immediately connected to hormone changes but can still be linked. Here’s what to look out for:
Changing Menstrual Patterns
Cycles can become irregular, and may be shorter, longer, heavier, or lighter than usual. You might skip a period entirely, then have two in a month. This is often one of the first noticeable signs, but not always!
Perimenopause Fatigue
Persistent tiredness is extremely common. It can feel like you’re wading through the day, even after a full night’s sleep.
Hormone shifts – particularly involving oestrogen, progesterone, and cortisol – play a major role in perimenopause fatigue.
Hormone shifts – particularly involving oestrogen, progesterone, and cortisol – play a major role in perimenopause fatigue.
Mood Fluctuations
Anxiety, low mood, irritability and a short fuse can all be part of the picture. These changes can appear without warning and often feel out of character.
Perimenopause Bloating
Many women report more frequent digestive issues during perimenopause, particularly perimenopause bloating. Hormonal fluctuations can affect gut function and fluid retention.
Perimenopause Sleep Problems
Falling asleep may become harder. Staying asleep, even more so. This can be due to night sweats, cortisol imbalance, or falling progesterone levels.
Perimenopause Brain Fog
You might lose your train of thought more often. Concentration can become a struggle. Memory might feel less reliable. It’s frustrating, and very real.
Weight Gain
Even without changing your diet or exercise routine, weight – particularly around the midsection – may increase. This is partly due to changes in insulin sensitivity and metabolism.
Loss of Libido
Lower testosterone and oestrogen can reduce sex drive and lead to vaginal dryness, both of which affect comfort and desire.
Aches and Stiffness
Muscle soreness and joint pain are often reported, even in those with no history of such symptoms. These can be tied to declining hormone levels and increased inflammation.
If you’re experiencing several of these symptoms at once, it may be time to consider whether you’re in the midst of perimenopause.
If you’re experiencing several of these symptoms at once, it may be time to consider whether you’re in the midst of perimenopause.
The Value of a Perimenopause Blood Test
Guesswork rarely leads to effective treatment. That’s why a proper hormone blood test is so important.
At BioID Health, we use a comprehensive blood test to identify exactly what’s happening beneath the surface.
Our hormone blood tests include:
- Oestradiol (oestrogen)
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEA
- Cortisol
- Full thyroid panel (TSH, T3, T4)
- Vitamin D
- B12 and folate
- Blood sugar markers and insulin
- Inflammatory markers
Together, these results give a clear picture of what’s driving your symptoms. This means your treatment can be precise, not based on assumptions or averages.
If you’re not sure whether your symptoms are linked to perimenopause, our online symptom checker is a useful place to begin.
What Perimenopause Treatment Looks Like at BioID Health
We don’t follow a generic approach, such as the one offered by GPs. Every perimenopause treatment plan at BioID Health is created based on your individual blood results, symptoms, and lifestyle.
Treatment typically includes bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) – a method that uses plant-derived hormones identical in structure to those your body produces naturally. These are prescribed in carefully tailored doses to match your hormonal needs.
We also pay close attention to nutritional status. If your blood test highlights deficiencies, we may recommend targeted perimenopause supplements or perimenopause vitamins to support hormone function, energy levels, and cognitive clarity.
Importantly, we don’t treat and forget. Follow-up testing and reviews are part of your ongoing care. As your hormone levels shift, so does your perimenopause treatment plan – always with the aim of helping you feel balanced and well.
You can book an online consultation directly through our website or speak to our team about your symptoms if you’re unsure what to do next. Just give us a call on 0330 460 9999.
Perimenopause: Taking Back Control
It’s easy to dismiss symptoms when they creep in gradually. You might chalk it up to stress, a busy life, or age. But if you’re feeling tired all the time, bloated without reason, short-tempered, or like you’re not quite yourself, it’s worth taking a closer look.
The truth is, perimenopause can have a real impact on your quality of life – but with the right support, it doesn’t have to.
At BioID Health, we help women take back control through medical testing, one-to-one care, and hormone therapy that’s guided by evidence, not guesswork.
If you’ve been wondering whether what you’re experiencing is linked to perimenopause, there’s no need to keep wondering.
Start by using our symptom checker to identify the signs, or go straight to booking your online consultation and perimenopause blood test if you’re ready for answers.
Our team is here to help you understand your results, your options, and the path forward.
It’s your body. You deserve to feel good in it again.
