Vitamin D Deficiency Worsened My Perimenopause Fatigue

I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. I could barely get out of bed. I was blaming it all on perimenopause. I thought this was just something I had to suffer through. My doctor suggested getting my vitamin D levels checked. I thought it was pointless. Of course my fatigue was perimenopause. But my vitamin D came back severely deficient. Severely. I was shocked. I started supplementing with vitamin D and within weeks, my energy started improving. I am not saying my perimenopause fatigue went away completely. It did not. But the crushing exhaustion that had made even basic tasks impossible started lifting. The vitamin D deficiency had been making my fatigue so much worse.

How I got here

I had always lived in a northern climate with limited sunshine. I did not spend much time outdoors. I did not take vitamin D supplements. I had never thought about vitamin D. But as I got older, I realized that I was becoming more deficient in vitamin D. I was tired all the time. I attributed it to aging and to perimenopause. But when my doctor checked my vitamin D levels, the numbers came back very low. My body was severely lacking this crucial nutrient. And vitamin D deficiency is known to cause fatigue, depression, and other symptoms that overlap with perimenopause. I had been struggling with fatigue and depression and I had not even considered that vitamin D deficiency might be part of the problem.

What I actually did

I started taking vitamin D supplements. My doctor recommended a high dose initially to bring my levels back up, and then a maintenance dose. I took vitamin D every single day. I also tried to get more sunshine when I could, though in my climate that is limited. Within two to three weeks, I started noticing that my energy was improving. I was not magically full of energy but the crushing exhaustion started lifting. I could get out of bed and do things. I could make it through the day without collapsing. My mood also improved. I realized that vitamin D had a bigger impact on my well-being than I had thought. It is one of the crucial nutrients that my body needed to function properly, especially during perimenopause.

What actually changed

My energy improved significantly once I started supplementing with vitamin D. The fatigue did not completely disappear because perimenopause is still affecting my energy, but the vitamin D deficiency was making it so much worse. Once I addressed the vitamin D deficiency, the fatigue became manageable. I also realized that perimenopause fatigue might not always be just about perimenopause. There might be other factors like vitamin D deficiency that are making things worse and that can be addressed.

What my routine looks like now

I take vitamin D supplements every single day as part of my routine. I get my vitamin D levels checked regularly to make sure they are in a healthy range. On days when I can, I get some sunshine. I track my energy levels using PeriPlan and I can see that my energy is much better when I am consistent with my vitamin D supplementation. If my energy starts declining, my first thought is now to check whether I have been consistent with my vitamin D instead of assuming it is just a perimenopause symptom I have to suffer through.

If you are experiencing severe fatigue during perimenopause, consider getting your vitamin D levels checked. Vitamin D deficiency can significantly worsen fatigue. If your levels are low, start supplementing. It might not fix your fatigue completely but it could make a significant difference in how you feel.