What Ayurveda says
Ayurveda sees perimenopause as the body's transition into the Vāta stage of life. The same symptoms that look chaotic on a chart — broken sleep, dryness, anxiety, palpitations, weight shift — are coherent as a Vāta-Pitta pattern that needs grounding, oleation and rhythm.
Possible dosha pattern
Vāta drives the dryness, anxiety, joint aches and broken sleep. Residual Pitta drives the hot flushes, irritability and heavy bleeding episodes. Kapha often shows up as weight settling around the middle.
Foods to favour
- ·Ghee daily; soaked almonds, dates, figs
- ·Warm cooked grains, root vegetables, mung dal
- ·Cooling Pitta foods (coconut, cucumber, coriander) when hot
Foods to reduce
- ·Caffeine, alcohol, hot spices (worsen flushes and sleep)
- ·Skipped meals and intermittent fasting
- ·Raw cold food in the evening
Daily routine
- ·Daily abhyanga with warm sesame oil
- ·Slow yoga, walking, swimming — not high-intensity training
- ·Bed by 10 p.m.; protect deep sleep fiercely
Herbs (with cautions)
- Shatavari
1 tsp in warm milk daily — the lead rasayana for this stage
Caution: Avoid in oestrogen-sensitive cancers and fibrocystic breast disease
- AshwagandhaFull guide →
For exhaustion, anxiety and broken sleep
Caution: Avoid in hyperthyroidism and Pitta heat
- BrahmiFull guide →
For brain fog and a hot, busy mind
Caution: Avoid with sedatives and in hypothyroidism
When to see a doctor
Bleeding more than once in 21 days, very heavy bleeding, post-menopausal bleeding, severe low mood, or symptoms affecting work and relationships — discuss HRT and screening with a GP.