Cortisol and Perimenopause: What You Need to Know
Are you sick of feeling tired, bloated, anxious, and stiff? If you’re facing perimenopause and struggling to keep up, high cortisol might be to blame. In this article we explore perimenopause and cortisol levels, as well as cortisol’s effect on estrogen and progesterone.
Beginning as early as your mid-30’s, estrogen levels may begin to decline, triggering the hormonal shift toward menopause. This transitional state, called perimenopause, marks the end of regular menstruation and is often punctuated with the beginnings of menopause symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. While perimenopause is normal and healthy, the body often struggles to adjust to changes in hormone levels, driving the release of cortisol.
What is Perimenopause?
When the body begins its transition into menopause, called perimenopause, hormone production in the ovaries gradually lessens. As a result, menstruation becomes less regular, and periods may become heavier, lighter, or have spotting in-between. Other common symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and mood swings, including depression and anxiety.
The onset age of perimenopause can vary widely from your mid-30’s to your mid-50’s, although typically it begins in the mid-40’s. In most cases, perimenopause lasts 8-10 years before menopause occurs. Menopause has officially been reached when you experience 12 consecutive months without a period. However, it’s important to remember that you can still get pregnant even after perimenopause starts.
Cortisol and Perimenopause
Due to perimenopause’s effects on hormones, especially the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, other hormones, like cortisol, can fluctuate. This can occur either in direct response to sex hormone decline (for instance, studies show that sex hormone levels directly impact cortisol release via androgen and estrogen receptors in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis) or as a result of the symptoms caused by hormonal imbalances and fluctuations.
Take insomnia, a common symptom of perimenopause. Not only is poor sleep associated with fluctuations in sex hormones like estrogen, but chronic lack of sleep has been shown to elevate cortisol production. Other symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings, and night sweats, can be physically stressful for our bodies (and minds!) to manage, meaning higher cortisol levels.
High Cortisol During Perimenopause Symptoms
You might already be familiar with the signs and symptoms of high cortisol in general (thanks TikTok!), but do you know what to watch out for with perimenopause? Unfortunately, many perimenopause symptoms are exacerbated by high cortisol levels. This includes:
–Poor sleep
–Weight gain
Effect of Cortisol on Estrogen and Progesterone
While perimenopause can cause cortisol levels to spike, high cortisol can also affect estrogen and progesterone.
Cortisol and Estrogen
Are you curious about the relationship between estrogen and cortisol? During perimenopause, estrogen levels drop, preparing the body for the lower hormone production associated with menopause. Many of the typical symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and abdominal weight gain are due largely to low estrogen.
Unfortunately, high cortisol can make low estrogen even worse. When cortisol levels are high, especially in the case of chronic stress, cortisol can “steal” the resources needed to produce estrogen.
This is because cortisol, along with adrenaline and noradrenaline, is essential to the “flight or flight” response, and the body will prioritize cortisol production (and survival) over estrogen and reproductive health, even when we are not in immediate danger.
Additionally, cortisol suppresses the release of critical estrogen precursors, including gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Progesterone and Cortisol
Along with estrogen, progesterone production falls significantly during and after perimenopause. Progesterone is also vulnerable to cortisol steal, but perhaps even worse is the nasty feedback loop that occurs between low progesterone and stress.
Unlike estrogen, which is vitally involved in glucose metabolism and energy production, progesterone interacts with GABA receptors, promoting calmness, mood regulation, and a sense of well-being. When progesterone runs low and cortisol is high, stress becomes magnified.
How to Lower Cortisol During Perimenopause
–Prioritize sleep
Burning the midnight oil? If you’re sacrificing sleep for a fast-paced lifestyle, you might be burning out your adrenals with cortisol.
–Stay active
An active lifestyle can help moderate stress and boost healthy hormone production.
–Eat healthy
Without the right nutrition, our bodies can’t produce the hormones they need to stay healthy. Even worse: poor diet can pile on even more stress and cortisol. Healthy eating can help lower inflammation and regulate cortisol levels throughout the day.
–Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Dehydration can seriously drive cortisol production. To help keep cortisol and other stress hormones in check, try following these helpful hydration tips to stay hydrated throughout the day.
–Consider Supplementation
Keep your hormones healthy and cortisol levels in check with menopause support supplements. Soothe stress with Ashwagandha, boost estrogen with Chaste Tree, or fight oxidative stress with Wild Yam.
