It feels like you’re getting the flu. You’re achy, feverish, exhausted. Your glands feel swollen. You feel like you’re coming down with something. But then your period starts, and suddenly you’re fine. This isn’t the flu. This is what I call the ‘hormonal flu,’ and it’s a sign that your hypothalamus is struggling during perimenopause. A perimenopause symptom that no one talks about.
Let me explain what’s happening.
I’m Deborah Maragopoulos, FNP, an integrative nurse practitioner, and I’ve been helping women through perimenopause for over 30 years. The hormonal flu is something I see all the time, but most doctors don’t even know about it. Today I’m going to explain what it is and why it happens.
What Does the Hormonal Flu Feel Like?
Let me describe the symptoms so you know if this is what you’re experiencing.
The hormonal flu typically happens 1-2 days before your period starts. You suddenly feel achy – your muscles and joints hurt, feverish – you might even have a low-grade fever, and exhausted – profound fatigue. Your lymph nodes might feel swollen – especially in your neck and armpits- it feels like you’re getting sick. You think, “I’m catching something”. But then your period starts, and within hours to a day, all these symptoms disappear.
This is almost exclusively a Perimenopause phenomenon.
You didn’t have this in your 20s and 30s. It starts happening in your 40s as you approach menopause. Why? It’s all about inflammation. In perimenopause, progesterone and estrogen levels are both declining, but they’re fluctuating wildly. One month, you might have decent levels. Next month, they crash. Right before your period, both hormones drop dramatically. This is what triggers menstruation.
Both Progesterone and Estrogen Are Anti-Inflammatory Hormones
They help keep your immune system balanced and keep inflammation in check.
When these hormones suddenly drop right before your period, you lose that anti-inflammatory protection. Your immune system becomes more active. Inflammation surges throughout your body.
This inflammatory surge creates the flu-like symptoms – muscle aches (from inflammatory cytokines), fatigue (your body is mounting an immune response), swollen glands (your lymph nodes are reacting), and low-grade fever (from inflammatory mediators like IL-6).
You’re not actually sick.
You don’t have a virus or infection.
You have a sudden surge of inflammation triggered by the hormonal drop.
Why Is This Specifically a Perimenopause Issue?
When you were younger, you had more stable hormone levels. You had a reserve of estrogen stored in your brown fat. You ovulated regularly, so you made much more progesterone. Your adrenals use your ovarian production of progesterone, and now you don’t have enough to spare. So you didn’t get this severe inflammatory reaction.
In Perimenopause, hormone levels are more volatile. You don’t ovulate regularly, so you make less progesterone, which is anti-inflammatory. Your body doesn’t regulate inflammation as well because your hypothalamus is struggling to keep up with all these changes.
Your hypothalamus regulates both your hormones and your immune system. It’s the command center that keeps everything balanced. In perimenopause, your hypothalamus is under stress. It’s trying to compensate for declining ovarian function, regulate wildly fluctuating hormone levels, maintain immune balance, control inflammation, keep your metabolism, sleep, and stress response functioning.
When your hypothalamus is being asked to do too much with inadequate resources, it becomes overwhelmed and can’t properly regulate your immune response. When hormones drop right before your period, instead of your immune system staying calm, it overreacts.
You get this inflammatory surge. You feel like you have the flu.
Support Your Hypothalamus
This is actually a sign that your hypothalamus needs support.
If you experience the hormonal flu, it’s telling you several things. You’re in perimenopause or approaching menopause. Your hormones are fluctuating significantly. Your hypothalamus is struggling to regulate inflammation. Your immune system is hypersensitive.
The good news is that hormonal flu typically resolves once you’re fully through menopause. Your hormones stabilize at lower levels. Your body adjusts. But in the meantime, it’s a sign that you need to support your hypothalamus so it can better regulate your immune response and inflammation.
How Genesis Gold® Can Help
If you’re experiencing the hormonal flu – or any perimenopausal symptoms – supporting your hypothalamus can make a huge difference. I created Genesis Gold® specifically for this transition.
It contains:
- Anti-inflammatory compounds to help reduce those inflammatory surges
- Adaptogenic herbs to support your hypothalamus during this stressful transition
- Nutrients to help regulate immune function
- Amino acids to support hormone production
Many women tell me that once they start taking Genesis Gold®, the hormonal flu episodes become much milder or disappear entirely. That’s because we’re supporting the root cause – the hypothalamus.
If you want to learn more, join my FREE Hormone Reboot Training.
You’re not getting sick.
Your body is just struggling to adapt to changing hormone levels.
And there is support available.
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