A lot of women aren’t familiar with the term ‘perimenopause’. Usually they use the term ‘menopause’ for all parts of the menopause
process. Perimenopause is when symptoms first start appearing, but menopause hasn’t yet been reached, it is basically a type of pre menopause. Here in the US, the average age of menopause is 52, but if menopause occurs any time between 40 and 60 years old, it is considered normal. Since menopause can happen as early as 40 years old, this means that it’s possible for perimenopause to start when a woman is in her 30s, but this is fairly young and most women don’t enter the perimenopause phase until their mid 40s. Perimenopause may pass quickly or it may last several years, the average length is 3 – 7 years.
During perimenopause, it’s possible to experience all the symptoms associated with menopause; perimenopause is when symptoms first begin to make their appearance. Not all women experience menopause signs, there are a lot of factors that come into play during menopause. A lot of the menopause experience depends on genetics, but diet, exercise, stress levels, sleep habits, smoking habits and alcohol consumption all play a part in potential symptoms. Irregular menstrual bleeding is usually the first sign that most women notice. When periods begin to skip or bleeding becomes irregular, this is the first indication that that fertility is starting to decline. During perimenopause is when estrogen and progesterone production starts to become erratic, sometimes it surges, while at other times it decreases.
Potential perimenopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, depression, mood swings and a loss of sex drive. The laundry list of potential symptoms associated with menopause is actually quite large, but it’s important to note that not all women get symptoms. These symptoms are considered normal and for most women, are manageable. Only in rare cases of extreme symptoms do women need to seek medical treatment.