This Triggers Hormone Chaos! Fix Weight Gain & Brain Fog During Perimenopause | Dr. Mariza Snyder

Understanding Perimenopause

Dr. Snyder reframes perimenopause as a "second puberty," a metaphor that underscores the profound neuroendocrine shifts women experience during this phase. Just as puberty marked a chaotic and destabilizing entrance into reproductive life with mood swings, anxiety, and physical changes, perimenopause marks a similarly tumultuous exit. The hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone, which once reliably regulated bodily and brain functions, begin to fluctuate erratically, and eventually decline. This transition is not a swift shift but a drawn-out continuum that can span years, often leaving women feeling unmoored and confused about their symptoms.

Hershel and Kaya both share their personal experiences living through this stage, highlighting how symptoms like insomnia, irritability, brain fog, and unexplained weight gain became a daily battle. Hershel recalls the strangely persistent itchy ears and sleepless nights, early signs that something was off in her body. Kaya, who has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and was two years postpartum while still breastfeeding, describes a period of deceptive wellness followed by declining energy and increasing inflammation markers. These personal accounts emphasize how even women with healthcare knowledge can initially miss the signs of perimenopause, pointing to a larger issue of underrecognition in mainstream healthcare.

The Brain in Perimenopause

One of the most distressing aspects of perimenopause, Dr. Snyder explains, is the impact on the brain caused by hormone chaos. Estrogen, dubbed the "CEO of the brain," plays an essential role in regulating energy metabolism, neurogenesis, inflammation, and neurotransmitter function. When estrogen's presence becomes erratic—arriving late, leaving early, or dropping unexpectedly—the brain struggles to maintain equilibrium. This leads to symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, memory lapses (sometimes so severe they raise fears of dementia), mood swings, irritability, and overwhelming frustration.

The podcast delves into how these brain-related symptoms might manifest as "rage outbursts," mid-day irritability, and trouble recalling even simple tasks like why one entered a room. Hershel validates this experience by sharing how her estrogen levels significantly dropped over a year, correlating with her increasing irritability and sense of losing herself. Dr. Snyder emphasizes that while lab results might not always catch these fluxes due to their erratic nature, the symptoms are real and require recognition and compassionate management.

Menstrual Cycle Chaos

Perimenopause also wreaks havoc on menstrual cycles. Women often witness their previously predictable cycles become irregular, shorter or longer, heavier or lighter, and sometimes entirely absent. Dr. Snyder offers a vivid analogy of "garbled communication" between the brain and the ovaries, likening it to a chaotic game of telephone resulting in misaligned hormone messaging. A key mechanism is the early decline in progesterone production due to skipped ovulation, leaving estrogen unopposed. This "estrogen dominance" can cause symptoms like heavy or fibrocystic breasts, increased PMS, water retention, migraines, and mood disturbances.

Tracking menstrual cycles becomes a vital self-awareness tool, signaling shifts and helping women anticipate fluctuating symptoms such as mood deregulation during the late luteal phase. This understanding empowers women to take a proactive role in managing their health.

Weight Gain, and Metabolic Dysfunction

Weight gain, particularly the frustrating shift in body composition during perimenopause, emerges as a major theme. Dr. Snyder and Hershel discuss the distress many women face as exercise no longer yields the same results, and fat redistributes from traditionally estrogen-influenced areas like hips and thighs to more dangerous visceral belly fat. This abdominal fat accumulation is more than a cosmetic issue; it's a sign of worsening insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, placing women at increased risk for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Snyder stresses the critical importance of muscle preservation through strength training, calling muscle "the organ of longevity." Maintaining lean muscle mass not only improves metabolic health but also enhances physical resilience, mobility, and overall quality of life well into older age. Hershel's personal focus on strength training and her exemplary bone density illustrate how a mindset shift—from prioritizing "skinniness" to valuing strength and health—is fundamental for thriving through perimenopause.

Diet, Movement, and Sleep

Understanding metabolic health is a key to managing hormone chaos and its downstream effects. Dr. Snyder highlights markers like fasting insulin, fasting glucose, lipid panels, inflammation markers, and thyroid function as essential labs for tracking metabolic risk. She points out that insulin resistance often begins long before glucose levels rise, making early detection and intervention crucial during perimenopause.

For dietary strategies, she advocates for a focus on blood sugar regulation by reducing added sugars, refined carbs, and processed foods, while emphasizing fiber-rich vegetables, adequate protein, and healthy fats. Alcohol consumption, particularly at night, is flagged for its disruptive impact on inflammation, blood sugar, and sleep quality.

Movement is portrayed not just as formal exercise but as consistent, daily physical activity. Dr. Snyder champions "NEAT" (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) and "exercise snacks"—short bursts of movement such as quick squats or walking breaks throughout the day—as effective ways to stabilize blood sugar, boost metabolism, and improve sleep.

Sleep disturbances, affecting about two-thirds of women in perimenopause, are explored as another facet of hormone-driven chaos. Declining progesterone and melatonin, combined with lifestyle stressors and poor circadian rhythms, cause fragmented and poor sleep. Dr. Snyder advises prioritizing consistent sleep/wake times, morning sunlight exposure to reset circadian rhythms, limiting late meals and alcohol consumption, and establishing calming bedtime routines.

Stress and Connection

Stress management emerges as an indispensable tool for women navigating this phase, as perimenopause reduces stress tolerance and intensifies irritability and emotional volatility. Dr. Snyder encourages women to carve out even small pockets of self-care that resonate personally—whether walking alone, breathwork, reading fiction, or dancing—as ways to calm the nervous system and reclaim joy.

Importantly, the podcast also delves into the power of community. Experiencing perimenopause can be isolating, especially in a culture that often dismisses or stigmatizes women's midlife experiences. Having supportive friendships where symptoms can be openly discussed breaks loneliness, reduces shame, and provides healing. The women reflect on how sharing their struggles in "perimenopause in the wild" conversations with friends created reassurance that they were not "going crazy."

The emphasis on proactively creating and nurturing friendships—whether through reaching out, following up, or joining interest groups—is a reminder that social connection is a profound form of medicine that sustains well-being during this transition.

Reframing Perimenopause

Toward the end of the conversation, Dr. Snyder shifts focus to the cultural narrative around perimenopause. Rather than seeing it as a time of inevitable decline, she calls it an opportunity for "ascension," a powerful rebirth into the next chapter of a woman's life. Armed with knowledge, women can choose to rewrite their stories, set new boundaries, and prioritize their own wellness. Midlife, she insists, is when many women step into their full power, wisdom, and influence, rather than fading away.

This reframing invites a mindset of ownership over one's health and life trajectory, encouraging women to embrace the second puberty with compassion and intention.