Perimenopause – What is it?
Perimenopause is the transitional time that occurs before woman stop having their period and enter menopause. Much like puberty in reverse, during this time a woman’s hormones begin to slow down, gradually descending from the high levels needed to for reproduction. This transitional period, depending on the individual, can take anywhere from one to ten years, but the average stretch is around three years. Perimenopause ends when a when a woman does not get her period for no less than one year. After this, she enters menopause.
During perimenopause, a woman will gradually near the conclusion of her childbearing years and the production of her ovarian hormones will begin to fluctuate. Many of her menstrual cycles will be annovulatory during perimenopause, which means the ovulation does not occur and her estrogen levels begin to fluctuate, rising sharply then dropping suddenly. This will cause the menstrual cycle to shorten and most likely become erratic, until, eventually, they cease completely.
In the United States, the average age for woman to reach menopause is fifty-one; however, this is only the average. You should keep in mind that many women will certainly experience menopause and perimenopause a few years earlier or later then fifty-one. The easiest way for a woman to determine when she might expect to experience menopause is to find out when her mother went through menopause (though this will not be possible if menopause was surgically brought on because of a hysterectomy.)
Variations in a woman’s menstrual cycle are most definitely an early warning that the onset of perimenopause is right around the corner. But the signs vary, and will involve a wide-ranging hodgepodge of physical and mental health symptoms. Listed below, you will find some of the more common symptoms of perimenopause: Your menstrual cycle may be shorten or lengthen without warning. Your bleeding will also vary. One day it may be very heavy, the next, very light. And as time goes on, you will find that you start to miss periods completely. You may have uncontrollable hot flashes and at night, you may wake frequently and experience night sweats. Other common symptoms are mood swings and depression as well as anxiety attacks and sudden irritability. These are all quite common and may occur in combination with one another. Vaginal dryness, which is caused by the decreasing production of estrogen, may also occur. This will also make intercourse very painful. Suffering from sleep duress is also common, and night after night you may find it difficult to fall asleep, and stay asleep. You may find that you’re developing love handles (fat around the waist). Urinary problems will become a factor, and you may become more susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTI). Losing control of you bladder may also be a problem.
During perimenopause, women should list the symptoms they experience in a diary or calendar. This way, they can keep a daily record of their perimenopausal experiences. This calendar can be a helpful guide for your health care provider to review. They can examine it for patterns of depression and determine whether these symptoms are related to perimenopause, or are attributed to a separate physiological problem. It is important to note that until you haven’t had a period for at least a year, and are firmly in menopause, you will still be able to get pregnant.
When your estrogen levels plummet, the follicular phase of your menstrual cycle is shortened, resulting in the shortening of your total cycle from around 30 days to 24 days. Because of this, you may have more frequent periods. But if you don’t ovulate as frequently, your period frequency may decrease. Remember, these changes are based on the individual.
Some health care providers believe the onset of perimenopause is the best time to start a strict hormone replacement regiment (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone therapy). These hormone supplements don’t create excess hormones; they replace the decreasing internal supply.
Keep in mind, a relatively insignificant number of women do not experience any changes before menopause. These lucky few have their periods just simply stop overnight and experience few, if any, symptoms.
On the flip side, a very small percentage of women will encounter significant, symptoms that, if left untreated, may necessitate surgical intervention.