Perimenopause is women first begin to have fluctuation in their production of estrogen and progesterone, during this time, fertility levels begin to decline. This is a completely normal process that happens to all women and is not a medical condition; however perimenopause symptoms may rise to the level of needing medical treatment if they become serious enough. Usually, one of the first symptoms that will indicate a woman is entering into this phase is irregularity in the menstruation cycle, sometimes bleeding may actually be heavier than normal, but usually periods are missed and bleeding becomes irregular. Perimenopause usually begins to happen while women are in their mid to late 40’s but may occur early due to medical conditions or medical treatments.

Perimenopause is the years leading up menopause, but the terms perimenopause and menopause tend to be used interchangeably. Menopause is the day a woman has her last day of bleeding, but until a woman is without one full year of bleeding, menopause is not assured. Due to missing periods and irregular menstruation, it takes one full year to confirm menopause and positively declare that a woman is no longer capable of getting pregnant. If menopause occurs in women younger than 40 years old, this is considered early menopause or premature menopause.

Typical perimenopause symptoms are irregular menstruation, loss of sex drive, vaginal dryness, night sweats, insomnia, hot flashes, memory loss, anxiety and depression. The most widely reported perimenopause symptom is hot flashes. When women experience an early menopause brought on by a surgery such as a hysterectomy this can lead to a sudden loss of hormone production which can result in symptoms that are worse than those experienced during natural menopause.

Perimenopause last about 4 – 6 years, but may last as long as 10 years. Usually symptoms begin to decrease and eventually disappear on their own a few years after menopause occurs.