The Fix-It-Fast Perimenopause Checklist

By Ann Marie McQueen     3-Minute Read

Ann Marie McQueen is a Canadian journalist and founder of Hotflash inc, a global platform serving more than 50,000 women with more than 100 episodes of The Hotflash inc Podcast, 175 issues of the Hotflash inc newsletter on Substack, and a robust social media presence, including TikTok and Instagram.  

I had an incredibly hard time in perimenopause. (Such a hard time I've dedicated the last four years and all my journalism skills to getting to the bottom of it.)

It started with nightmares, anxiety, panic attacks, and fear of flying. It moved into panic attacks, wired and tired fatigue, obsessive, angry thoughts, anger (and a few tantrums), and what I've affectionately dubbed "perimenopause morning doom drops."

Sleep was a huge issue for me. Either I was falling asleep at 4pm or waking at 3am. I felt in an almost consistent state of unease. And when you don't sleep, everything else suffers. At the time I didn't even know I was in perimenopause, so I developed—as many women do—extreme health anxiety. That meant my long to-do list always had something on it that was part of my efforts to get to the bottom of what I was sure was wrong with me.

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There were a load of other symptoms too: whooshing feelings in my head, phantom burning smells, tingling on my body, chest pains—and two ER visits—and for a few years, extreme pain throughout my muscles and joints. Once I realized I was in menopause with my first missed period, everything got easier. And I also started to look back and realize that what I thought was going on wasn't at all reality. 

“These are experience-, evidence-, and expert-backed tips for a healthier you, no matter where you are in this transition, or what you are choosing to do about it.”

The good thing is that I developed a pretty solid set of lifestyle skills that helped me cope—and learn a lot about myself in the process. I've put some of the most important, tools I still use today, even having passed through menopause, into "The Fix-It-Fast Perimenopause Checklist," which you can see below and download fully (with even more robust info on the evidence backing each tip) from my website.

These are experience-, evidence-, and expert-backed tips for a healthier you, no matter where you are in this transition, or what you are choosing to do about it. I've had more than 100 episodes of my podcast, interviewing practitioners from around the world, and am able to pull together a pretty well-rounded view of what we can do.

You will notice "consider hormone therapy" is not on this list—no judgment there. All my research has shown me that hormone therapy, in whatever form you might choose to take it, is incredibly helpful. But it's not a magic pill, and it affects each woman differently. My hope is that you do your own research and find the practitioner—and treatment—that is right for you. 

The Fix-It-Fast Perimenopause Checklist

❒ 1. Take magnesium and taurine for hot flashes and sleep.

❒ 2. Try regular walking for sleep, mood, overall health, and more.

❒ 3. Get morning light for sleep and mood.

❒ 4. Eliminate screens before bed for sleep and stress.

❒ 5. Practice regular grounding for everything.

❒ 6. Try electrolytes for energy and more.

❒ 7. Adopt a breathing technique that works in a crisis.

❒ 8. Practice yin yoga, foam rolling, or stretching for sleep.

❒ 9. Implement face ice baths for mornings and meltdowns.

❒ 10. Consume carbs for energy.

❒ 11. Take pycnogenol for hot flashes and more.

❒ 12. Let yourself feel bad until it passes.

❒ 13. Instill the 3am protocol.

❒ 14. Treat your energy like money in the bank. 

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Download the full checklist here and follow Ann Marie McQueen via her podcast, newsletter, TikTok, and Instagram. 

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This article is intended for informational purposes and is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a physician or medical advice. Womaness strives to share the knowledge and advice from our own network of experts and our own research. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based in partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.