Peri / Menopause symptoms aren’t just a "normal part of life"

If you’re in your late 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s and you suddenly feel like your body has a mind of its own—sleep is weird, your mood feels unpredictable, you’re getting hot flashes or night sweats, your energy is gone, your weight is shifting, your brain feels foggy, and your cycle is changing—welcome to peri OR menopause BUT it doesn't have to be like that!

You don’t have to accept feeling tired, hot-flashy, insomniac, moody, anxious, puffy, or “not like you.”

Bodies are supposed to age. But feeling like you’re falling apart is not a requirement of aging.

Peri / Menopause and hormonal imbalances aren’t “just part of life.” These can be supported without drugs and your body can work without taking hormones.

Let’s talk about what’s actually happening, why the usual medical approach often misses the point, and what to do instead if you want your body to feel steady again.

The common symptoms people blame on “hormones”

Perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause) is when hormones begin to fluctuate more dramatically before they eventually settle into a new baseline. That hormone shift is real—but here’s the part most people don’t get told:

Hormone changes are often the spark… but the intensity of symptoms is usually tied to what your body is already dealing with underneath.

Common peri / menopause symptoms can include:

• Hot flashes and night sweats

• Insomnia or waking up at 3–4am

• Mood swings, irritability, or feeling emotionally “raw”

• Anxiety feelings or feeling wired but tired

• Brain fog and lower stress tolerance

• Weight gain (especially midsection), stubborn metabolism changes

• Lower energy, muscle weakness, less stamina

• Digestive changes (bloating, food reactions, constipation/diarrhea)

• Joint aches, inflammation, headaches

• Cycle changes (heavier, lighter, closer together, farther apart)

Many of these overlap with what I see when the body is dealing with hidden inflammation and interference that doesn’t show up on standard lab work.

Why “normal labs” + “it’s just menopause” doesn’t match your real life

Here’s what’s frustrating: a lot of people get labs run, they’re told everything is “normal,” and the conversation ends there.

But labs often only catch problems later in the process—when the body has progressed far enough that something is clearly “abnormal” on paper.

In my work, I explain this as the body moving through layers:

1. Daily toxin load builds up → inflammation begins

2. Digestion gets compromised → you stop breaking down/using nutrients properly

3. Inflammation creates an over-reactive immune state (food reactions/allergies)

4. Pathogens (bacteria/fungus/virus/parasites) take advantage—but often not enough to show on labs

5. Eventually you get diagnosable disease and “abnormal labs”

A lot of peri/menopause suffering is happening in layers 1–4. That’s why you can feel miserable while your bloodwork looks “fine.”

Why the medical model often defaults to hormones or meds (and why that may not be the right fit)

When you tell a conventional provider you’re not sleeping, you’re having hot flashes, and you feel emotionally off, the standard options are usually:

• Hormone replacement (synthetic or “bioidentical”)

• Sleep meds

• Anxiety/depression meds

• Sometimes birth control pills in perimenopause

To be clear: some people do feel relief with these tools. And if you’re on something and it’s helping, I’m not here to shame you.

But here’s the part that matters:

Hormones and meds can reduce symptoms without fixing WHY your body is struggling.

If the underlying issue is inflammation, toxic burden, gut dysfunction, nutrient malabsorption, hidden pathogens, or nervous system “blocking/switching,” then adding hormones is like adjusting the thermostat in a house with the windows open.

You may feel better temporarily, but the system still isn’t regulating properly.

Even “natural” hormones can create new imbalances elsewhere when the body is already overwhelmed—because you’re not addressing the reason your endocrine system was struggling in the first place.

Pills can cover symptoms. They don’t explain why this is happening. And if you don’t fix the underlying reason why, these issues often keep coming back in new forms.

So what do you do instead?

Instead of trying to force your body into a number range (or medicate symptoms into silence), ask a different question:

What’s cumulatively been interfering with my body’s ability to self-regulate—especially now that I’m approaching this stage of life?

Because peri/menopause is not just a hormone event. It’s a “bandwidth” event.

Your body is trying to make a major transition. If it’s already carrying too much inflammation, too many stressors, too much toxic load, or too many hidden infections… it’s going to feel like a crash.

Here are the big categories I look at first (the things that commonly don’t show up clearly on standard labs):

1) Toxic load and endocrine inflammation

Your endocrine glands are extremely sensitive to what you’re exposed to every day—water, food, chemicals, pesticides, plastics, fragrances, and more. Over time, this can create a constant low-grade stress response that shows up as fatigue, hot flashes, mood issues, sleep issues, and weight changes.

2) Digestion and nutrient absorption

If you’re not breaking down and absorbing nutrients (especially minerals, fats, and protein), your body can’t build hormones properly or regulate the nervous system well. This is one reason people can be “eating healthy” and still feel off.

3) Hidden pathogens and gut imbalance

Bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses can create inflammation, disrupt detox pathways, and stress the immune system—often without showing up on routine tests. When the immune system is overwhelmed, symptoms can look hormonal even when the main issue is immune burden.

4) Nervous system “blocking” and “switching”

Some people feel like nothing works—supplements help for a minute, then they feel worse, then better, then worse again. That’s not you “being difficult.” That’s often a nervous system pattern that prevents the body from responding consistently until it’s corrected first.

How we support peri / menopause differently at Treat the Source

I don’t follow the model of reading labs and then “bullying” the body into changing a number.

I look for what’s interfering with normal function—the things that won’t show up in labs—and remove that interference so your body can self-regulate again.

Step 1: We identify what your body is reacting to (and why)

Using my proprietary Functional Interference Testing (FIT) approach, we look for patterns like:

• What’s driving inflammation

• Digestive deficiencies and malabsorption

• Toxins that are “stuck”

• Pathogens your body can’t clear

• Organ stress patterns

• Nervous system blocks that stop progress

This is the stuff that explains why you can have “normal labs” and still feel awful.

Step 2: We follow a 3-Phase plan with a clear end game

Most programs keep you chasing symptoms forever. Our work is structured:

Immune Restore → Repair & Rebuild → Maintenance

• First we handle the overwhelm (inflammation load, toxins, pathogens, digestion support)

• Then we correct the underlying patterns that made it possible in the first place

• Then you taper down because your body is doing its job again

This is designed to end, not become your new full-time hobby.

Step 3: We work with your body, not against it

No forcing. No “push through it.” We adjust as your body changes so you don’t get blindsided by reactions and you’re not stuck guessing what to do next.

The truth nobody tells you: your body was built to regulate

Your body was built to stay balanced, protect itself, and adapt.
If it’s not doing that right now, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means something is interfering.

When you handle what’s interfering, those problems can go away—and stay away.

If you’ve been dismissed, told “nothing’s wrong,” or put on meds that don’t feel right…

If you’ve been told this is just your new normal… and you know in your gut that it isn’t… I’m your person.

Because managing symptoms is exhausting.

And if you’re in peri/menopause, the goal isn’t to “survive it.” The goal is to help your body move through it with stability—so you can sleep, think clearly, feel calm in your body, and actually enjoy your life again.

Important note: If you’re currently on hormones or medications, don’t stop or change anything without working with your prescribing provider. The point here is to widen the conversation beyond symptom management and address the underlying interference so your body can regulate better.

If you are local to the Phoenix, AZ area, go to this link to find out more about holistic solutions to help reset and remove interference from your body so it can do its job properly. Pills just cover up symptoms—they don’t fix WHY this is happening. Isn’t it time to finally resolve it instead of managing it? 

If you are not local to the Phoenix, AZ area, then click here to check out all of your options! You’ll get the exact steps you need to take, plus support from me to guide you every step of the way! 

xo Monica 🦋 Treat the Source: where we reveal all of the hidden causes of your mystery symptoms!