Understanding Perimenopause: A Beginner's Guide with Dr. Mariza Snyder (Ep 95)

Episode 95: Understanding Perimenopause: A Beginner’s Guide with Dr. Mariza Snyder

Perimenopause can feel especially confusing when you’re already living with autoimmune disease. Changes in sleep, mood, energy, inflammation, cognition, and even how your body responds to familiar strategies can leave you wondering: Is this an autoimmune flare, perimenopause, or both?

In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by functional medicine practitioner, bestselling author, and women’s hormone health expert Dr. Mariza Snyder for a Perimenopause 101 conversation designed to help women understand what’s actually happening during this transition.

Together, they explore when perimenopause can begin, the surprising symptoms that often appear before cycle changes, and why fluctuating estrogen and progesterone may be especially disruptive for women managing autoimmune disease. They also discuss the foundational role of nutrition, sleep, strength training, metabolic health, and stress resilience, plus where hormone replacement therapy may fit into a personalized approach.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What perimenopause is and why it can begin as early as the late 30s
• Why symptoms can appear years before noticeable menstrual cycle changes
• Common early symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, brain fog, sleep disruption, and mood changes
• Why perimenopause and autoimmune flares can be difficult to distinguish
• How estrogen and progesterone interact with immune regulation and inflammation
• Why strategies that worked for years may suddenly feel less effective
• How tracking symptoms alongside your menstrual cycle can reveal important patterns
• Why blood sugar regulation, nutrition, sleep, strength, and stress resilience matter in perimenopause
• Dr. Mariza’s “landing the plane” strategy for improving your nighttime routine
• How to advocate for better perimenopause care and know when to seek additional support
• Where hormone replacement therapy may fit alongside foundational lifestyle strategies
• Why your needs may continue to change throughout the perimenopause transition

Resources:

• Book: The Perimenopause Revolution
• The Perimenopause Revolution resources: drmariza.com/book
• Podcast: Energized with Dr. Mariza

Episode Timeline:

00:00 – Why perimenopause can be confusing with autoimmune disease

03:16 – Introducing Dr. Mariza Snyder

04:28 – Perimenopause 101: What are we dealing with?

10:28 – Common and surprising symptoms of perimenopause

17:14 – The perimenopause-autoimmune connection

23:22 – Why old strategies can stop working in perimenopause

28:27 – A foundational approach to perimenopause

35:28 – Knowing when to dig deeper and advocate for care

40:57 – Hormone replacement therapy in perimenopause

46:09 – Hope for autoimmune women navigating perimenopause