{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Modern Midlife Collective","title":"Episode 35: Am I Crazy, or Is This Perimenopause?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2566,"description":"Am I Crazy, or Is This Perimenopause?The Modern Midlife Collective PodcastEpisode OverviewHave you been told your labs are normal -- but you still don't feel like yourself? Are you waking up at 3 a.m., snapping at people you love, forgetting words mid-sentence, and wondering what is happening to your body? Before you assume the worst, there's something you need to hear: you are not crazy. You may be in perimenopause.In this foundational episode, Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD, FACOG, MSCP, and Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP, break down everything women need to know about the menopausal transition -- what it actually is, why it begins earlier than most women expect, and why the symptom list goes so far beyond hot flashes. They explain why perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis rather than a laboratory one, what the research actually shows about hormones and brain health, and what to do if you have already been dismissed by a provider who told you your numbers look fine.This episode also addresses why so many perimenopausal symptoms are misattributed to anxiety, stress, or aging -- and what the full, evidence-based picture actually looks like. If you have been searching for someone to finally connect the dots, this is that conversation.Key Takeaways• Perimenopause can begin in the late 30s and lasts an average of four to ten years -- and women can be fully symptomatic while still having regular menstrual cycles.• Hormone levels fluctuate dramatically during this transition. A single blood draw is a snapshot, not the full film. Perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms, history, and patterns over time.• Estrogen receptors are found in the brain, bones, heart, blood vessels, bladder, skin, and muscles. When estrogen fluctuates, women feel it throughout their entire body -- which explains why the symptom list seems so disconnected.• The SWAN Study (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation), one of the largest long-term studies of the menopausal transition, confirmed...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/vSb4RMla_S75bpWB9Zxjk3g6nojoX9zmEdCD7Xe_JSw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMTZj/YjIwZGE1ZTU5Mjk2/NmU2NTU1NmM3N2Ni/ZTc0MC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}