Who Decides When Perimenopause Starts?
- Shakeeka Misher
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
This past week, one of my clients said something that made me stop in my tracks:
“My prior provider told me I was too young at age 42 to experience perimenopause symptoms.”
Too young … according to what — a chart? A lab result? A textbook?
We live in a medical culture that often leans heavily on numbers (age cutoffs, hormonal labs, reference ranges) sometimes at the expense of the most critical data point: the woman in front of us. But this approach leaves so many female stories untold, their symptoms minimized, and their health compromised.
The facts: how often are women dismissed — and at what cost?
A 2025 study analyzing self-reported data from >4,400 women (ages 30 and up) via the Flo app found that 55.4% of women ages 30–35 and 64.3% of women ages 36–40 reported moderate to severe perimenopause symptoms. Yet, the vast majority of younger women don’t seek or receive treatment. Cunnngham et al. (2025)
In that same study, only 4.3% of women ages 30–35 reported having sought help for those symptoms — compared with 51.5% of women aged 56+.
In qualitative studies of women seeking care, dismissal is a recurring theme. One participant reported being “completely dismissed” by two providers, another being told “you’re too young and healthy … your periods are normal.” Richardson et al. (2023)
Research on gender bias in care shows women are 66% more likely to receive a misdiagnosis compared to men, and symptoms are often attributed to stress or emotions rather than physiology. Markowiz (2022).
The cumulative effect is serious: untreated perimenopause symptoms can negatively impact sleep, mood, cognitive clarity, sexual health, metabolic balance, bone health, cardiovascular risk, and overall quality of life.
In short: the cost of dismissal is real — physically, mentally, emotionally.
Are we judging the book by its cover — or diving into the pages?
Imagine a car that gleams from the outside, shiny paint, polished rims, but conceals a sputtering engine, low oil, and clogged filters. If we only judged by the exterior, we’d miss critical failures.
Women are often treated the same way in healthcare: “You look fine, your labs are in the ‘normal’ range, so you must be fine.” But hormone labs fluctuate wildly in perimenopause — a single “normal” value doesn’t rule out dysfunction.
We must stop asking, “Are you old enough?” and start asking, “What is your body telling you?”
Why Thryva Wellness Stands Out
At Thryva Wellness, we believe in:
Intention-driven listening not to the lab sheet alone, but to your lived experience.
Symptom-led care allows your body, not your age, to guide our interventions.
Whole-system thinking sleep, stress, gut health, movement, mental health — we address all of it.
Evidence-based, personalized strategies hormone support when appropriate, alongside lifestyle tools, nutrition, mindful stress reduction, and collaboration with other care providers as needed.
Because when we dive into the pages — into your story — we heal more deeply.
If you’ve ever been told, “you’re too young,” “your labs are normal,” or “just deal with it,” I want you to know: your struggle is valid. And you deserve care that sees you.
Let’s change the narrative together.
👉 If you want to explore a path where your symptoms are heard — not dismissed — I’d love to connect.
Thryva Wellness | www.wellnessthryva.com
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