Hi Reader,

As I return to practice next week, I’ve been thinking about the conversations that so many women have with their bodies long before they have words for them.

It often starts subtly. A cycle that feels different than it used to. Sleep that no longer restores. Moods that feel less predictable, or weight that responds in unfamiliar ways. Many women sense that something has shifted—yet when they look for answers, they’re often told everything is “normal,” or that menopause is still far off.

For many, this is the beginning of perimenopause.

Perimenopause isn’t a simple decline in estrogen. It’s a hormonally dynamic transition shaped by fluctuating estrogen, earlier drops in progesterone, and changes in how the brain coordinates these signals. It can begin years before periods become irregular, and it affects far more than the reproductive system alone. When we understand what’s actually happening beneath the surface, symptoms stop feeling random—and start making sense.

While I was away, I put together a series of blog posts that walk through this transition from the ground up. The series begins with how a healthy menstrual cycle works in the reproductive years, then traces the late reproductive phase, early and later perimenopause, and the point of menopause itself. Along the way, I explain why estrogen often rises before it falls, why progesterone tends to decline first, and why symptoms like sleep disruption, mood changes, night sweats, and body composition shifts appear when they do.

The intention behind this series was simple: to offer context, clarity, and a steadier way to understand this season—one that frames it as a whole-body recalibration rather than a breakdown.

You can read the perimenopause series here, at your own pace.

As I step back into practice, this remains the heart of my work: helping women understand their physiology well enough to move through transitions with confidence, choice, and support that fits their individual needs.

Best,

Kim