Elly Jenkyns ND

06/03/2026

If you've been told your fatigue, joint pain, mood changes, brain fog, and stubborn weight are all "just perimenopause" — there's a real possibility a piece of the picture is being missed.

Hashimoto's, an autoimmune thyroid condition, peaks during the perimenopause years. It shares almost every symptom with perimenopause, which is exactly why it gets missed so often.

The Menopause Society's own clinical guide acknowledges that thyroid symptoms can be confused with menopause symptoms. The same guide notes that the causal link between estrogen decline and musculoskeletal pain is unproven. And the evidence does not support hormone therapy as a treatment for joint pain. New research from 2026 goes further — finding that MHT use in perimenopausal women may actually be associated with higher rates of tendon injuries, including shoulder and elbow tendon injuries.

This week on the blog, I'm walking through the symptoms commonly attributed to perimenopause that may actually be Hashimoto's, the one symptom that helps distinguish the two, and why the order of treatment changes everything when both are happening at once.

Read it here: https://drelly.ca/blog/www.drelly.ca-thyroid-perimenopause-symptoms

Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash

05/27/2026

Tonight at St. Thomas Church, 7pm — come sing with us. I promise you don't need to be a singer to feel how powerfully healing it is to sing in community!

An evening of comfort and community. Sing to the grief we all carry but rarely have time or space to feel. No talking required.

05/19/2026

If you're someone who falls asleep without a problem and then finds yourself wide awake at 3am — this is for you.

Sleep disruption in perimenopause has a specific pattern. It's not onset insomnia. It's frequent waking, often around the same time, sometimes with a racing mind and sometimes with no clear reason at all. Between 40 and 69% of perimenopausal women experience it.

And the reason most sleep advice isn't working is that it was designed for a different problem.

On the blog this week, I'm walking through what's actually driving the 3am wake-up — including the hormonal shifts that change sleep architecture itself, the role of cortisol sensitivity, and why alcohol has a bigger impact in this phase than it used to. I'm also covering what the current evidence supports as genuinely helpful.

Read it here:

Between 40 and 69% of perimenopausal women wake at 3am and can't get back to sleep. The pattern is specific — and the standard advice was built for a different problem.

04/30/2026

Something feels off — but you can't quite name it.

This is one of the most common experiences I hear from women navigating perimenopause, and one of the most frustrating. You know something has changed. You get checked. Everything looks normal. And you're still left without an explanation.

In my latest blog post I walk through what's actually going on with vaginal tissue in perimenopause, why a clear test result isn't the whole story, and something most women have never heard of — but should know about.

If this sounds familiar, or if you know someone who's been in this position, the link is in the comments.

04/07/2026

There’s something powerful about educators coming together with heart at the center of their work 💛

One of the incredible women from my Wild Collective is hosting this beautiful day of connection, learning, and real support for those shaping young minds.

If you’re an educator who knows it’s about more than just lessons… this is for you.

Eventbrite link in comments..

✨ The Connected Classroom Conference
📍 Ball’s Falls Conservation Area
🗓 Sunday, May 3 | 10am–3pm