Mental Health Impact of Perimenopause: Signs, Tools, and Live Event

Understanding the mental health impact of perimenopause is essential for navigating midlife health. Shifting hormone levels directly affect brain chemistry, causing sudden anxiety, emotional volatility, brain fog, and sleep loss. Many women experience these symptoms without realizing they stem from biological hormonal transitions.

If you feel overwhelmed or unprepared for these emotional and physical changes, you are in the right place to get support.

Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Perimenopause

Perimenopause often begins years before a woman’s final menstrual period. As estrogen and progesterone fluctuate, they disrupt neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. Common signs include:

• Brain fog and memory shifts: Difficulty concentrating, losing your train of thought, or forgetting common words.
• Mood changes and anxiety: Unexplained irritability, emotional spikes, or sudden panic.
• Sleep disruptions: Trouble staying asleep, often worsened by night sweats.
• Physical and relational changes: Fatigue, body changes, joint pain, and changes in physical intimacy.

Addressing the mental health impact of perimenopause requires effective coping strategies, medical advocacy, and peer support. You can explore our mental health counseling services for individualized support during hormonal transitions.

Free Live Event: Women’s Wellness Community Conversation

Charmine’s Circle of Voices is hosting a free online panel to discuss perimenopause, menopause, and midlife wellness.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
Where to Watch: Facebook Live on the Charmine’s Circle of Voices page (@Charmine’s Circle of Voices (CCOV))
Website: www.charminecircleofvoices.com

Featured Panelists

Charmine Crews-Lane, MBA (Host & Moderator): Founder and CEO of Charmine’s Circle of Voices. Charmine leads the discussion and creates spaces for community support and sisterhood.

Shakira K. O’Garro, LMHC-D, LPCC, LPC, NCC (Guest Speaker): Founder and Clinical Director of Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling PLLC. Shakira specializes in emotional balance, trauma-informed care, and life transitions.

Karina Williams, RN, MSN.Ed (Guest Speaker): Founder and Nurse Educator at KDJ Education and Consulting. Karina provides clear health education to help women understand physical body changes.

What You Will Learn

This live session offers practical tools and clinical guidance on:

1. How shifting hormones alter serotonin, dopamine, and stress regulation.
2. Grounding techniques to reduce daily anxiety and manage sleep loss.
3. Communication strategies for setting physical boundaries with partners.
4. How to advocate for yourself during medical appointments.

For additional background on our clinical approach, visit CCOV.

Free Resource Packet Provided After the Event

Attendees will receive a free resource packet after the talk. This packet includes symptom trackers, somatic grounding exercises, communication scripts for partners and doctors, and a comprehensive reading list.

Tune in live this Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 7:00 PM ET on Facebook Live (@Charmine’s Circle of Voices) to join the conversation, ask questions, and access your resource guide.

Not able to make it? Sign up for the newsletter, and Shakira will email it to you personally!

Shakira O'Garro

Shakira K. O’Garro, LMHC-D, LPC, LPCC, NCC, is a Black Christian therapist specializing in medical trauma, chronic illness, and supporting Christians through a crisis of faith. Living with severe stage 4 endometriosis and adenomyosis taught her how deeply physical pain, medical dismissal, and suffering can impact your mental health and relationship with God. Her work centers Black Christian women who are exhausted from being gaslit by healthcare systems and told to just “pray harder” when their bodies are breaking down. Shakira (and her clinicians) offer therapy that honors your pain, validates your experience, and integrates your faith without spiritual bypassing.