Perimenopause is the span of six to 10 years during which your body prepares for its transition to menopause (your last ever menstrual period) plus one year after menopause. Being in perimenopause does not necessarily mean that you will follow an immediate and direct path to menopause. Some women go for years in this transitional state, whereas others sail through in just a few months. My friend, Barbara’s periods just stopped one day and that was it. She had no other symptoms! And my mother said she didn’t have any problem with it. I, on the other hand, suffered through almost 10 years of weird symptoms during perimenopause before things finally calmed down.
Is Menopause a Disease?
Just as puberty and regular menstrual cycles are natural stages in a woman’s life, so are perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause. The Greeks called menopause the climacterate or “step in the ladder” in keeping with their understanding of the cycles of life. The transition to menopause is intended by nature to be a natural and gradual process in which the ovaries gradually decrease their hormonal output with women having few, if any, symptoms.
So, Why Do Many Women Have Problems During Menopause?
Our modern world and lifestyles impose physical, mental, and emotional stresses on us that our grandmothers didn’t have. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we are exposed to 80,000 toxic chemicals that didn’t exist 200 years ago. These chemicals accumulate and disrupt every system in our bodies — especially our immune, endocrine, reproductive and nervous systems.
Many women have underlying health conditions such as poor digestion and absorption of nutrients, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, thyroid imbalance that are undetected but complicate the symptoms of perimenopause.
During these years of mid-life, many changes — in relationships, children leaving home, the need to care for aging or dying parents, employment, etc. — can intensify psychological stress which contributes to the symptoms of menopause. Also, in a culture where youth and beauty are idolized, menopause can bring about physical changes in women which can effect their self-image and self-esteem leading to grief and depression.
Can I Predict When I Will Start Perimenopause?
No, but look for it somewhere in your mid to late 40s. Some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s and a few as late as their 50’s or even 60’s. There is currently no way to tell in advance when your perimenopause will start or what it will be like.
A few factors are believed to hasten its arrival: smoking, never having had a baby, exposure to toxic chemicals, and a history of heart disease, pelvic surgery, epilepsy, or depression. There is no clear correlation between age at perimenopause and that of your first period, or your use of birth control pills.
How Long Does Perimenopause Last?
It varies. Women normally go through menopause between ages 45 and 55 with an average age of 51. However, perimenopause can start as early as age 35. It can last a few months to quite a few years. There is no way to tell in advance how long it will take you to go through it. Every woman is different.
Keeping a Perimenopausal Diary
Initially, menstrual cycle changes can be subtle with a wide variety of possibilities. Usually a woman’s cycle gets shorter first and then longer. Bleeding may last longer or shorter and be heavier, lighter, or just spotting. Late in perimenopause, it is common to skip periods, then resume a normal menstrual cycle again. Although any menstrual pattern is possible, each woman will know that, for her, a change has occurred.
Keeping track of your menstrual cycles, feelings and experiences will give you a better understanding of the changes occurring during this time. You will also have valuable information to discuss with your doctor should you have a concern.
The Good News Is That Perimenopause Ends!
Perimenopause symptoms subside when your hormones stop fluctuating and your body adjusts to the lower levels. Your periods stop all together and you graduate into the relative calm of post menopause. The joys of life after menopause are many and great — you just have to learn how to manage the perimenopause symptoms!
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