Perimenopause: The Pause Life’s Most Popular Resources for Every Topic

September is Perimenopause Awareness Month, and there’s no shortage of questions about what’s happening, what can help, and where to find information you can trust.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver is a board-certified OB-GYN, menopause expert, bestselling author, and founder of The Pause Life. This guide brings together The Pause Life’s perimenopause resources, including articles from our blog and Substack, episodes of unPAUSED with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, books, quizzes, guides, calculators, challenges, programs, and more.

Start with the three resources below, or jump directly to the topic you’re looking for.

Perimenopause: Start With the Basics

📖 Read: What Is Perimenopause? Our Guide to Symptoms, Tests & Treatments

Wondering whether the changes you’re experiencing could be connected to perimenopause? Start here for an introduction to perimenopause, common symptoms, testing, and treatment options.

📖 Read: The New Perimenopause by Mary Claire Haver, MD

Perimenopause is not early menopause. This book offers a roadmap for a transition medicine has ignored for far too long. If you’ve ever thought, “Why didn’t anyone warn me?” this is a strong place to begin.

🎧 Listen: The Perimenopause Masterclass: Anxiety, Brain Fog, Broken Sleep, Weight Gain & GLP-1s

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Haver answers some of the perimenopause questions she hears most, including questions about anxiety, brain fog, broken sleep, weight gain, and GLP-1 medications.

ADHD

📖 Read: Perimenopause Brain Fog or Undiagnosed ADHD? Why You’re Losing Focus in Your 40s

If your focus, memory, or ability to get things done suddenly feels different, this article explores the potential overlap between perimenopause and previously unrecognized ADHD.

🎧 Listen: Brain Fog, Rage, Overwhelm: The ADHD and Menopause Overlap with Dr. Sasha Hamdani

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Haver and board-certified psychiatrist and ADHD expert Dr. Sasha Hamdani discuss why some women discover ADHD for the first time in their 40s and 50s.

🎧 Listen: An ADHD and Menopause Toolkit: What Actually Helps with Dr. Sasha Hamdani

In this episode of unPAUSED, the conversation with Dr. Hamdani turns to practical ways to manage ADHD when symptoms overlap with perimenopause and menopause.

Body Composition, Metabolic Health & Weight

📖 Read: The Metabolic Syndrome of Menopause: A New Framework for Midlife Health

A closer look at changes in belly fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other markers of metabolic health around the menopause transition.

📖 Read: 10 Tips For Optimizing The Hormones That Control Your Weight In Menopause

Explore hormones, body composition, and weight during the menopause transition.

🎧 Listen: Why Women Gain Weight on the Same Diet as Men: Fueling, Fasting, and Biology with Dr. Stacy Sims

In this episode of unPAUSED, exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr. Stacy Sims joins Dr. Haver to discuss female physiology, fueling, fasting, fitness, and weight.

📖 Read: The GLP-1 Update for Women in Midlife: What’s Changed, What’s New, and What’s Next

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver shares an update on GLP-1 medications, visceral fat, metabolic disease, medication interactions, and emerging treatments for women in midlife.

💪 Try: The ‘Pause Belly Fat Blast Challenge

Try this Pause Life challenge focused on nutrition, inflammation, and changes in body composition during menopause.

Bone & Joint Health

📖 Read: Five Truths About Women’s Bone and Joint Pain That Medicine Has Ignored for Decades

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver shares lessons about menopause, estrogen loss, bone and joint health, and why women’s symptoms can be misdiagnosed.

📖 Read: Weighted Vests for Bone and Muscle Strength

Learn more about weighted vests and their potential place in supporting bone and muscle strength.

Brain Fog, Memory & Brain Health

📖 Read: Brain Fog: It's Not All In Your Head, How Does Menopause Affect the Brain?

Start here to learn more about brain fog and the brain changes women may experience during the menopause transition.

📖 Read: Menopause, Memory & Mental Health

Explore memory, cognition, and mental health during the menopause transition.

🎧 Listen: Understanding Your Brain Through Perimenopause and Menopause with Dr. Louisa Nicola

In this episode of unPAUSED, neurophysiologist Dr. Louisa Nicola joins Dr. Haver to discuss brain health, sleep, nutrition, exercise, and Alzheimer’s disease.

📖 Read: What Actually Protects Your Brain in Midlife

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver looks at the habits and health strategies that support brain health in midlife.

Creatine

📖 Read: The Benefits of Creatine for Menopause & Perimenopause

Learn about creatine supplementation and its connection to muscle, exercise, and health during perimenopause and menopause.

📖 Read: Protein + Creatine: A Dual-Action Formula for Midlife Strength, Energy & Recovery

Explore how protein and creatine can fit alongside resistance training and other healthy habits in midlife.

Depression, Mood & Anxiety

📖 Read: SSRIs vs HT: What's Really First-Line Therapy for Perimenopausal Depression?

A closer look at treatment considerations when depression develops during perimenopause.

📖 Read: Mood Swings, Rage and “Not Feeling Like Myself”: It’s Not All in Your Head

Explore mood changes during the menopause transition, including rage and the unsettling feeling that you simply don’t feel like yourself.

🎧 Listen: Mast Cells, Histamine, and Perimenopause Explained: MCAS, Anxiety, Estrogen

In this episode of unPAUSED, allergist and immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin joins Dr. Haver to discuss histamine, mast cells, anxiety, estrogen, and perimenopause.

Endometriosis & Fibroids

📖 Read: Endometriosis & Menopause: What You Need To Know

Learn what the menopause transition may mean for women living with endometriosis.

🎧 Listen: Endometriosis and Fibroids Don't Stop at Menopause with Dr. Karen Tang

In this episode of unPAUSED, gynecologist and minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon Dr. Karen Tang joins Dr. Haver to discuss what can happen to existing gynecologic conditions as hormones shift.

Exercise, Muscle & Strength

📖 Read: Menopause and Muscle Loss: Why Sarcopenia Starts Sooner Than We Thought

Learn about muscle loss in midlife and why strength training matters throughout the menopause transition and beyond.

📖 Read: The Power of Protein & Resistance Training

Learn how protein and resistance training work together to support muscle and strength in midlife.

🎧 Listen: Lift Heavy, Protect Your Brain: Strength, Creatine, and Sauna for Women with Dr. Stacy Sims

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Stacy Sims and Dr. Haver discuss strength training, muscle, bone, brain health, creatine, and sauna.

🎧 Listen: Build Strength, Live Longer: The Menopause Longevity Blueprint with Dr. Vonda Wright

In this episode of unPAUSED, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright joins Dr. Haver for a conversation about bones, muscle, strength, and healthy aging.

📖 Read: The Exercise Prescription I Give Every Woman in Menopause

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver shares the exercise approach she recommends for women in menopause.

💪 Try: The 28-Day Pause Strong Free Challenge

Try this free 28-day challenge designed to help you build habits around strength and movement.

💪 Try: The Pause Strong Online Program

This online program helps women build habits around nutrition, inflammation, muscle, and bone health, with lifetime access to education and resources.

Fertility

📖 Read: Fertility and Perimenopause: AMH, Egg Quality & Your Cycle

Learn about fertility during perimenopause, including AMH, ovarian reserve, egg quality, and changes to your menstrual cycle.

Getting the Right Diagnosis

📖 Read: Is It Perimenopause? Or Something Else?

Symptoms that appear during the menopause transition aren’t automatically caused by perimenopause. This article can help you understand why figuring out what’s happening may require some investigative work with your clinician.

📖 Read: Misdiagnosis in Perimenopause: Understanding Overlooked Common Conditions

Learn about conditions that may be overlooked or misdiagnosed when women begin experiencing symptoms during perimenopause.

✅ Take: Perimenopause & Menopause Symptoms Quiz

Take this quiz to measure the intensity of your symptoms and get a downloadable summary you can bring to your next appointment.

Gut Health, Fiber & Inflammation

📖 Read: 30 Plants a Week: Why Gut Health Matters More After 40

Learn about gut health, plant diversity, fiber, and why the gut microbiome deserves attention in midlife.

📖 Read: The Power Of Fiber

Take a closer look at fiber, digestive health, and its place in a midlife eating pattern.

✅ Take: Inflammation Quiz

Take this quiz to assess the relative degree of inflammation associated with one day of nutritional choices. You can take it again as your eating patterns change.

💪 Try: The ‘Pause Life 10 Day Sugar Detox

Try this 10-day challenge to reduce excess added sugar and take a closer look at your cravings and eating habits.

Hair Loss

📖 Read: Hair Loss In Menopause: Causes, Testing, and Treatments

Learn about potential causes of hair thinning in midlife, blood tests to discuss with your clinician, and treatment options.

🧭 Use: Midlife Hair Loss Guide

Use this free guide to learn about five major causes of midlife hair loss, labs to ask about, and first steps to consider.

Heart Health

📖 Read: Menopause and Your Heart: What Every Woman Needs to Know by Age 40

Learn about heart health as you approach and move through menopause.

Hormones, Labs & Testing

📖 Read: Is There a Perimenopause Test? The Truth About Hormone Testing Revealed

Wondering whether a blood test can tell you if you’re in perimenopause? Learn what hormone testing may be able to tell you, and what it can’t.

📖 Read: The Zone of Chaos: What’s Really Going On in Perimenopause

Learn more about the hormonal fluctuations that can make the perimenopause years confusing and unpredictable.

🧭 Use: Lab Test Checklist

Use this printable checklist to prepare for a conversation with your clinician about labs in midlife, why they matter, and which questions to ask.

🎧 Listen: Toxins, Stress, and What They're Doing to Your Hormones with a Top Reproductive Endocrinologist

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver continues her conversation with Dr. Natalie Crawford, double board-certified obstetrician, gynecologist, and reproductive endocrinologist, and author of The Fertility Formula. In part two, Dr. Crawford gets specific about the forces working against our hormones every day, including chronic stress, disrupted sleep, inflammatory food, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals most women have never been warned about.

Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

📖 Read: Hot Flashes & Night Sweats in Perimenopause and Menopause: Causes, Treatment, & Relief

Learn more about hot flashes and night sweats during perimenopause and menopause, including treatment and management options.

Itchy Ears & Other Surprising Symptoms

📖 Read: Itchy Ears in Perimenopause and Menopause: Causes and Treatments

Yes, itchy ears made the list. Learn more about this surprising symptom and potential treatment options.

📖 Read: Frozen Shoulder, Itchy Ears & Heart Palpitations: 10 Surprising Perimenopause Symptoms

Explore 10 less obvious symptoms that can show up during the menopause transition and what you can do about them.

Menopause Hormone Therapy

📖 Read: How To Approach Your Healthcare Provider About Hormone Therapy (HT)

Get practical guidance for starting a conversation about menopause hormone therapy (MHT) with your clinician.

📖 Read: Is Hormone Therapy Safe? Who Can Take It, Who Cannot, and What the FDA Just Changed

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver examines MHT safety, who may or may not be a candidate, and changes to FDA labeling.

📖 Read: Can Hormone Therapy Help Prevent Disease, And Not Just Relieve Symptoms?

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver discusses the changing conversation around menopause care, symptom treatment, and long-term health.

Nutrition & Protein

📖 Read: Nutrient Needs in Perimenopause and Beyond

Explore nutrient needs during perimenopause and beyond and how they fit into a whole-food eating pattern.

📖 Read: The Menopause Power Shake: A High-Protein, High-Fiber Daily Ritual

Looking for a practical way to add more protein and fiber to your day? Start with the Menopause Power Shake.

🧭 Use: Protein Calculator

Use this free calculator to estimate your daily protein needs.

📖 Read: The Ultimate Menopause Toolkit: A Comprehensive Approach To Managing Menopause

Explore six strategies for supporting your health and well-being throughout the menopause transition.

Periods & Perimenopause Timing

📖 Read: When Does Perimenopause Start? Signs, Age & Expert Advice

Wondering whether you’re too young for perimenopause? Learn when the transition can begin and which signs to look for.

📖 Read: Irregular Bleeding: 7 Ways Your Period Can Change in Perimenopause

Heavier, lighter, late, or missing? Explore seven ways your period can change during perimenopause.

Sexual Health, GSM & Libido

📖 Read: It's Not Just Vaginal Dryness: Navigating Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause

Learn about genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and the genital and urinary symptoms that can occur with hormonal changes.

🎧 Listen: Sexual Health, Libido, and Orgasm: What Medicine Missed with Dr. Kelly Casperson

In this episode of unPAUSED, urologist Dr. Kelly Casperson joins Dr. Haver to discuss sexual health, libido, desire, orgasm, and sexual dysfunction in midlife.

📖 Read: Why Orgasms Change During Perimenopause and Menopause

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver looks at changes in orgasm during perimenopause and menopause.

🧭 Use: Sexual Wellness Checklist

Use this checklist to take stock of changes in desire, comfort, and pleasure, learn what may be treatable, and prepare questions for your clinician.

Skin & Collagen

🎧 Listen: What Estrogen Does to Your Skin (And What Actually Works)

In this episode of unPAUSED, plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Youn joins Dr. Haver to discuss estrogen and skin health and what may help as skin changes.

📖 Read: Collagen: Your Skincare Hack

Learn about collagen, skin moisture, and the types of collagen studied for skin health.

📖 Read: My Two Favorite Bioactive Collagen Peptides: VERISOL® & FORTIBONE®

Dr. Haver shares the midlife skin changes that led her to explore specific bioactive collagen peptides.

Sleep

📖 Read: Sleep, Hormones, and Health: What You Need to Know

Learn more about sleep, hormones, and why sleep deserves attention during the menopause transition.

🧭 Use: Sleep Guide & Journal

Created with sleep physician Dr. Andrea Matsumura, this free guide covers routines and environmental changes that support restful sleep. It also includes a seven-day journal to help you track your sleep.

📖 Read: The Science of Progesterone: Better Sleep in Perimenopause and Postmenopause

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver examines the research on micronized progesterone and sleep during perimenopause and postmenopause.

📖 Read: The Girls Aren’t Sleeping

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver takes a closer look at the sleep problems affecting women during the menopause transition.

📖 Read: Why Melatonin Gets a Bad Rap, and How to Make It Work for You

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver explores why experiences with melatonin can vary and what formulation may have to do with it.

Supplements

📖 Read: Vitamin D and Menopause: Symptoms, Deficiency, Testing & How to Get Enough

Learn why vitamin D matters in midlife, how levels can be assessed, and ways to get enough.

📖 Read: Omega-3, Vitamin D3 & K2: Benefits and How to Choose the Right Supplement

Explore omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2 and their roles in supporting health during midlife.

📖 Read: Turmeric and Curcumin: What the Science Really Says

Take a closer look at the research on turmeric and curcumin.

📖 Read: Supplements To Support A Normal Inflammatory Response

Learn about supplements that may help fill nutritional gaps and support a normal inflammatory response.

📖 Read: Magnesium For All Stages Of Menopause

Explore magnesium and its roles in sleep, blood glucose regulation, and bone health.

Talking to Your Clinician

🎧 Listen: How to Get What You Need From a 15-Minute Doctor's Appointment with Dr. Lucy McBride

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Haver and primary care physician Dr. Lucy McBride discuss how to get your needs met when appointment time is limited.

🧭 Use: Clinicians List

Looking for a clinician? Explore this unbiased list compiled from outside sources based on their positive experiences.

Testosterone

📖 Read: What Women Should Know About Testosterone

Start here to learn more about testosterone and its role in women’s health.

🎧 Listen: The Testosterone Conversation with Dr. Kelly Casperson: Beyond Libido

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Kelly Casperson and Dr. Haver discuss testosterone in women, including its functions, declining levels, and the current treatment conversation.

Women’s Health & Advocacy

📖 Read: Why Understanding Perimenopause Changes Women’s Health for Every Generation

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver looks at why better understanding of perimenopause matters for women today and for the generations that follow.

📖 Read: “This Is Not Your Fault”: Five Truths Every Woman Needs to Hear About Her Health

In this Substack article, Dr. Haver reflects on her conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Comen and what it reveals about women, medicine, and the need for better care.

🎧 Listen: The Holderness Family Gets Real About Perimenopause

In this episode of unPAUSED, Kim and Penn Holderness join Dr. Haver for a candid conversation about perimenopause, ADHD, marriage, and midlife.

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