Canadian women open up about perimenopause challenges — and how it gives more symptoms 'than just hot flashes'

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When Kathleen Gillespie was 47, she was hit with a sudden wave of symptoms that left her confused and desperate for answers. She had joint pain in her knees, accompanied by a cracking sound and "shooting pain," which prevented her from being able to walk.

She was suddenly unable to digest certain foods, like dairy products, which she had never had an issue with before. Her skin also became hyper-sensitive. Though there were no redness or bumps, she would put a cotton sheet on her leg and it would feel like it was burning.

"My body was breaking down really quickly and I thought I was coming down with some bizarre disease," Gillespie said. Her doctor couldn't find any explanation for her symptoms. Treating each issue one by one, Gillespie was thought to have a potential food allergy, was taking 13 different prescriptions and was talking about getting her knees replaced.

"I felt absolutely ashamed. It was humiliating," Gillespie, a Vancouver resident who was living a fairly active lifestyle prior, said in a previous interview. "I had to pull back on a lot of things like doing yoga or being able to sit on the floor with my child. And it all ended up being related to my hormones."

Gillespie eventually found out her symptoms all derived from being in perimenopause. After receiving menopause hormone therapy, her symptoms cleared up within weeks.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause, characterized by changes in hormones. It can last six years or more for some women. While many might know about symptoms like hot flashes, there are many symptoms like muscle and joint pain, insomnia and sex issues that aren't on people’s radar.

World Menopause Day is held annually on Oct. 18, with the goal of raising awareness about the life stage and the support options available for people experiencing it. Recently, Yahoo Canada spoke to Canadian women about their experiences with perimenopause and a gynecologist about the lesser-known symptoms.

More than 30 symptoms of perimenopause, menopause

The Menopause Foundation of Canada released a report in October 2022, outlining over 30 symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. In its research, the organization found while many people knew about hot flashes and night sweats, the majority of women didn't know urinary tract infections, heart palpitations and pain during intercourse were also symptoms.

Six in 10 didn't know body aches, headaches and migraines, anxiety and depression and memory issues were also part of perimenopause. This clear gap in knowledge can lead many women to go untreated, feeling isolated and alone in their experience.

Questions about menopause? Want to share your experience? Email us and you could be featured in an upcoming Yahoo Canada article.

Dr. Shafeena Premji, a board member of the Canadian Menopause Society and a founder and director of three clinics in Alberta including the Mahogany Medical Clinic, said some women in perimenopause come to her practice and are experiencing things like skin changes, hair changes and extreme fatigue. "And the symptoms can change and evolve over time," Premji added.

Women can experience these symptoms as early as their 30s and 40s. Premji said this is a time in a woman's life when she may be busy with commitments, like mothering children, perhaps at the peak of her career or taking care of elderly parents. "Oftentimes, women will disregard their symptoms as stress or a lack of sleep because of X, Y or Z that's going on in their life and they don't necessarily realize that there could be a hormonal component to their symptoms."

Premji recommended using a tracker where you can input your symptoms and track your period. That can help you see see if there might be a correlation between symptoms and where you are in your cycle.

Toronto woman felt like her 'body was failing' her

Like Gillespie, Amanda Thebe's life was turned upside down by perimenopause. Thebe has been a health and fitness professional for 35 years. She had just finished a particularly challenging boxing class when she started to feel unwell. At home, her head was spinning and she felt sick, crawling across the floor to get to the bathroom.

"I assumed I had a virus and I would get better. And it did for a bit but then it happened again and again," Thebe said. With no rhyme or reason, Thebe would be struck by one of her dizzy spells and feel extremely fatigued or nauseous.

Along with the physical symptoms, Thebe fell into a depression. "I was deteriorating. I had zero quality of life," she said. "There was this whole emotional component. I just felt dead in the eyes and I remember saying to myself, 'Is this actually my new personality?'"

Thebe's doctor sent her to many specialists with results that came up inconclusive and she spent almost two years in a "medical wilderness." It wasn't until she saw a gynecologist for something unrelated that she was able to identify she was going through perimenopause and was able to seek treatment. The dizzying spells, which she was tested before for vertigo, happened to be chronic vestibular migraines.

She was 44 years old when she entered perimenopause, unaware her symptoms could begin that early. Since then, Thebe wrote a book called Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too, hoping to educate others.

Lack of education on menopause 'a fault with the system'

What is common in Gillespie, Thebe and many other women's experiences is well-intentioned doctors who are not adequately trained or knowledgeable on the signs of perimenopause. While many women feel they don't know enough about symptoms and can feel unprepared, it's unfortunate how much they have to educate and advocate for themselves to receive the treatment they need.

Even actress Halle Berry earlier this year said her doctor misdiagnosed her perimenopause symptoms, mistaking it for "the worst case of herpes." She had gone to see an OBGYN when she started experiencing painful sex. "I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina," she said.

According to the Menopause Foundation of Canada, four in 10 women sought medical advice, but 72 per cent found it to be not helpful or only somewhat helpful. Almost 40 per cent felt their symptoms were undertreated. Additionally, only 27 per cent of respondents said their physician proactively spoke to the patient about perimenopause or menopause.

"That fault isn't with the doctor, that's a fault with the system," Thebe said. Along with Gillespie, they both said that their doctors treat individual symptoms, rather than menopause. Thebe added something as simple as being handed a leaflet around the age of 35 could be life-changing for women.

"Women need to understand the symptoms are more than just hot flashes. They're not just being a bit moody and your period changes," Thebe said. "When you know what you're dealing with, then you can take a ton of pressure off of yourself and you can give yourself a bit of grace. But when women are dealing with this black forest of the unknown, it can be really hard to feel confident in yourself."

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