Premenopause
Premenopause: Puberty Through 20s, 30s, Early 40s
Balanced hormones in the 20s and 30s lay the foundation for lifelong vitality.
Understanding Hormones,
Lindsey Berskson, author of Safe Hormones, Smart Women (2010), and Breast Cancer Survivor, and instructor at A4M
States that Progesterone, is the Policer, the Protector. She says Progesterone polices estrogen to keep her from sending out too many growth signals to the tissues. Without Progesterone's policing, a controlling communication, estrogen becomes dominant. We have to have our estrogens, there are so many functions of estrogen in the body, however we must have balance.
Mood Swings, Severe Acne, Weight Gain, LIPEDEMA, loss of pregnancy?
Let's go on a journey that every woman takes, but few know the directions and/or understand.
This journey begins at Puberty, when estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone awaken.
Estrogen surges, forming beautiful curves, building breasts, and signaling that the body is ready to create life.
But this hormone doesn't act alone. It is a balance—estrogen rising, progesterone calming, testosterone strengthening—that creates harmony.
When this balance is off, from genetic factors, inflammation, or stress, we can see something different.
For many, the signs of imbalance show up early and are misunderstood or ignored.
We can see pain, fatigue, and fat accumulation that does not respond to effort. Lipedema often rears it's ugly head, even at this age. If it does, this can be a sign of faulty estrogen detoxification.
Anxiety, Insomnia, Irregular Periods, Failed Pregnancies, Infertility, Weight Gain, LIPEDEMA?
Pre-Menopause… The Hormonal Shifts of the 20s and 30s
Yes, already… there is THAT word.
We are ALL Premenopausal, right?!?! Until we are not. Women in the twenties do not even want to consider 'menopause' , as in pre- menopause.
But do not dismiss these young ladies. They, and the hormonal changes they are going through, have been ignored for way too long.
These are the Wonder Women of the world…
New jobs, new marriages, sometimes, new babies.
These Wonder Women "Bring Home the Bacon, and Fry it Up in a Pan!"
They are taking care of everyone—but themselves.
However, unbeknownst to Wonder Woman, Progesterone is already beginning to go down in the mid-twenties.
By the age of 35, Progesterone is usually only 50% of what it once was.
This causes Estrogen Dominance.
Progesterone is Nature's Ativan. Natural BioIdentical Progesterone may be added at this time to offset Estrogen Dominance, Weight Gain, Anxiety, Insomnia, and YES, even LIPEDEMA
NATURAL PROGESTERONE metabolizes into neuro steroids and affects the GABA receptors in the back of our brain, to help us go ahhhhhh …and help us sleep at night. Synthetic progestins/progestigens, etc., do not metabolize into natural substances.
Most of all… it is also the glue that holds the tiny embryo inside the uterus until the placenta is making enough.
Natural Progesterone, never synthetic Progestins, progestogens, or Medroxyprogestogens.
These synthetic chemicals are just that: chemicals. The molecules are changed here and there so that pharmaceutical companies can patent and sell them.
Synthetic hormones add approximately 7–8 lbs of weight, that will not be easily lost.
The enzymes in our bodies were not created to break down synthetic hormones.
They are not metabolized efficiently.
Synthetic hormones can cause LIPEDEMA.
Also, when synthetic contraceptive pills are discontinued, many times the hormones do not return to normal to allow a successful pregnancy.
Hormonal Shifts and the Onset of LIPEDEMA
For some girls, puberty is when LIPEDEMA first begins.
This isn’t just typical fat accumulation—it’s disproportionate, fibrotic, and painful fat that appears in the hips, thighs, and arms.
It traps, creates inflammation, and often goes unrecognized for years.
For others, it is the hormonal changes that come in the 20s to 30s.
The lowering progesterone can cause Estrogen Dominance, which causes weight gain, and if genetically predisposed… LIPEDEMA.
In the 30s and 40s, unpredictable estrogen surges, unopposed by the Progesterone Protector, fuels:
Stress
Inflammation
Weight gain
Worsening LIPEDEMA
This is the time women might begin to really notice the weight is not easily lost by diet, exercise, especially if genetically predisposed.
Additional Hormonal Changes,
Jennifer Landa, MD, author of The SEX Drive Solution For Women, and instructor at A4M
States that a woman's testosterone
Gradual testosterone depletion: causing low motivation, reduced muscle mass, and loss of confidence
Unpredictable estrogen surges and drops: often unopposed by progesterone, fueling inflammation and weight gain
Insulin resistance increases
Cortisol rises
Fat becomes harder to lose
For women with LIPEDEMA, these hormonal shifts can trigger or accelerate painful and visible changes in the body.
The Hormonal Shifts of The 20s & 30s
Premenopause—a phase encompassing the late teens through the 30s—is often marked by hormonal fluctuations that feel anything but “normal.” Many women experience:
Early progesterone decline, leading to insomnia, anxiety, irregular periods, and difficulty with pregnancy
Gradual testosterone depletion, causing low motivation, reduced muscle mass, and loss of confidence
Unpredictable estrogen surges and drops, often unopposed by progesterone, fueling inflammation, weight gain, and worsening lipedema
This is the time when many women start noticing weight gain that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise, especially in genetically predisposed individuals. Insulin resistance increases. Cortisol rises. Fat becomes harder to lose. For women with lipedema, these hormonal shifts can trigger or accelerate painful and visible changes in the body.
It’s Not Just Hormones—It’s How Your Body Processes Them
HORMONES: We have to USE THEM and LOOSE THEM!!!
Estrogen must be detoxified through specific pathways in the liver. Your body breaks it down into metabolites—some protective, others harmful. There is one which encourages tissue growth and fat expansion. This can harden connective tissue, worsen inflammation, and burden the lymphatic system.
And for many women, these breakdown issues are in their genetics. Variants in genes like COMT, MTHFR, and CYP1B1 affect how efficiently your body clears estrogen. When these pathways are impaired, estrogen becomes trapped—fueling the cycle of pain, inflammation, and fat accumulation. Easy-Peasy Fix!
You’re Not Failing—Your Body Is Asking for Support
What often looks like unexplained weight gain is really a hormonal and metabolic storm. The symptoms aren’t random—they’re signals. And with the right tools, we can respond.
Carla Whorton, NP uses advanced, functional lab testing to assess your hormone levels, metabolite levels, detox pathways, and inflammatory markers. From there, she builds a personalized plan to help:
Rebalance estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
Improve detoxification and methylation pathways
Reduce inflammatory signals
Restore insulin sensitivity
Calm the hormonal chaos contributing to lipedema and fat retention
Add GLP1s to decrease inflammation and STOP the cycle.
This Is About More Than Hormones—It’s About Power
Hormonal health in premenopause isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s a whole-body issue. These shifts impact your mood, energy, fertility, metabolism, and sense of identity.
You are not broken. You are biologically complex—and that’s a strength, not a weakness. When we stop ignoring symptoms and start listening to what the body is telling us, we don’t just “treat hormones.” We optimize lives.
OPTIMIZE!!! Hormones, LIPEDEMA, and Weight with me,
Carla Whorton, NP
