Perimenopause – Do You Have It?
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Menopause is official when you have gone over a year without having any type of menstruation. However, there is a period of time leading up to it – as long as 10 to 15 years – where your menstrual cycle becomes unpredictable and you could suffer from odd symptoms. This period of time is known as perimenopause.
The average age of women who experience menopause is the early 50’s so that means perimenopause could occur during most of your 40’s although some women do experience it even sooner. There are some signs of perimenopause that you could identify but keep in mind that it is still open to interpretation and could be attributable to other things!
- Changes in your menstrual cycle – This is the most common denominator in perimenopause but it could also be misinterpreted. Fibroids, cysts, cancer, and a host of other factors can also cause changes, so get a gynecological exam to make sure you are otherwise healthy.
- Body temperature fluctuations – Night sweats are common as well as hot flashes that typically last just a few seconds. As you creep closer to full-blown menopause, these episodes will last longer. Some women actually get cold sweats and are more prone to outer temperature changes during menopause.
- Mood swings – Being overly sensitive, anxious, irritable or even depressed are signs of perimenopause that many women report feeling.
- Vaginal Issues – Perimenopausal women will notice that their natural vaginal lubrication is greatly decreased due to the lower estrogen production. Lubrication products may have to be purchased if dryness is a major problem.
- Sleep issues – Perimenopause causes hormone fluctuations, which can contribute to problems of trying to fall asleep or even staying asleep. The night sweats are part of the sleep problem as well.
- Memory and concentration – Where once you could remember the most minute detail, now you have to write everything down. Feeling scattered is another issue of perimenopause. Concentration can be difficult. These issues are caused by the hormonal changes in the body. You can combat them by boosting your vitamin B intake.
Basically, perimenopause has symptoms that are quite similar to menopause, only to a lesser degree. The true sign of the switch from perimenopause to the real deal is the lack of a period for over a year, barring any other health issues.
While not every woman experiences symptoms during perimenopause, for other women symptoms can wreak havoc for ten years or even longer! For more information about this very real phenomenon, check out the whole package at
