Perimenopause & Hormonal Health

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause — typically beginning in a woman's mid-to-late 40s, though it can start earlier. During this time, oestrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate erratically before eventually declining. This hormonal turbulence can last anywhere from several years up to the final menstrual period,[1] and the symptoms are frequently dismissed, undertreated, or misdiagnosed in conventional medicine.

Perimenopause is not simply a decline in oestrogen. It is a complex hormonal reorganisation that interacts with your thyroid, adrenal function, gut health, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory status. Treating it as an isolated hormone problem is why so many women remain symptomatic despite standard interventions.[2]

Common symptoms Dr Reece Yeo works with

• Hot flushes and night sweats
• Sleep disruption and insomnia
• Mood changes, anxiety, and irritability
• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
• Irregular or heavy periods
• Low libido and vaginal dryness
• Fatigue that doesn't resolve with rest
• Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen
• Joint pain and muscle aches
• Hair thinning and skin changes

The integrative approach

Dr Reece Yeo approaches perimenopause from multiple clinical frameworks simultaneously. Rather than arriving at a single diagnosis and prescribing a single intervention, the goal is to understand the full picture of your hormonal and metabolic health.

Functional medicine assessment

This may include detailed hormone panels (including oestradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH, DHEA-S, testosterone, and SHBG), thyroid function beyond TSH alone, cortisol patterns, fasting insulin and glucose, inflammatory markers, and nutritional deficiencies that commonly worsen perimenopausal symptoms — including magnesium, B6, zinc, and vitamin D.

Classical Chinese medicine

Dr Reece Yeo practises the classical Jingfang tradition — working from the foundational texts of the Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue. Herbal formulas are selected based on your individual constitutional pattern, not a generic menopause protocol. Acupuncture is used to regulate the nervous system, support sleep, and address the cyclical nature of hormonal symptoms.

Diet, lifestyle, and nervous system support

Perimenopause is profoundly sensitive to lifestyle factors. Chronic stress, poor sleep, blood sugar dysregulation, and inflammatory diets all amplify symptoms significantly. Dr Reece Yeo works with you on practical, evidence-informed dietary changes, stress physiology, and sleep hygiene as foundational elements of treatment — not afterthoughts.

Why standard testing often misses the picture

Many women are told their hormones are "normal" despite experiencing significant symptoms. Standard pathology often captures a single oestrogen or FSH reading that may look unremarkable mid-cycle, missing the erratic fluctuations that define perimenopause. Comprehensive hormone testing, interpreted by a clinician who understands the full hormonal axis, tells a very different story.

What to expect working with Dr Reece Yeo

Your initial consultation is 180 minutes — long enough to actually understand your health history, review your pathology, and begin developing a meaningful treatment plan. You will complete detailed questionnaires before you arrive so the consultation time is spent on clinical reasoning. Treatment may include acupuncture, classical herbal formulas, targeted nutritional supplementation, and functional testing recommendations.