Brain fog? Anxiety? Insomnia? Rage?

(Harder than you might think to find a stock image of a pissed off woman)

One of the funny things about going through early menopause aged 40, is that so many of my early-40s friends are now asking me for advice about perimenopausal symptoms: ‘Why can’t I sleep?’ 'Why can’t I think straight?’ ‘What’s happened to my skin?’ ‘Why don’t I want to have sex?’ ‘Why am I so ANGRY ALL THE TIME?’ 

None of it is easy but, I tell them, there is actually a lot that you can do about it.

The first treatment that most people think about is HRT and, while that can be extremely helpful for many (you can even start it while still having periods if struggling with perimenopausal symptoms), there are plenty of reasons why others don’t go down that route. It doesn’t necessarily work for everybody, and some people find they can manage the symptoms without it. Many types of cancer treatment can push your body into early…