I recently heard about an interesting new book on the news about menopause. “Hot and Bothered- What No One Tells You About Menopause and How to Feel Like Yourself Again” is a new book by freelance health writer Jancee Dunn who explores all the things you need to know about this important stage in a woman’s life. One particular stage that happens before menopause and usually occurs in women in their 40s is perimenopause. This stage happens when hormonal changes start to occur in the body. Perimenopause is barely ever talked about and is considered a mystery. But if you’re at that age of entering this important stage, here are several things you must know about it.
What are the Symptoms and Causes of Perimenopause
During this stage of your life, your body starts to undergo some subtle and not-so-subtle changes. One of the most common ones is hot flashes or night sweats. These symptoms can cause you to have problems falling asleep. You will also start to experience irregular periods. This means your periods may be longer or shorter and your flow may be light to heavy. You might even skip some periods. Other symptoms of perimenopause include:
- Changing cholesterol levels
- Mood changes
- Vaginal and bladder problems
Now that we know the symptoms to look out for, what are the causes of perimenopause? Experts say that many of the changes experienced during perimenopause are due to decreasing estrogen. It is considered a normal phase in a woman’s life. Some women start to experience menopause earlier than others because of several contributing factors such as family history, treatment of cancer, and smoking.
What is the Last Stage of Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is composed of four stages. These stages are known as Early Perimenopause, Early Menopause Transition, Late Menopause Transition, and Late Perimenopause. Late Perimenopause, or the last stage, involves our periods being likely over and the ovulation period ending as well. Low estrogen is likely to happen and your symptoms of high and fluctuating estrogen start to ease. In this stage, you haven’t fully reached menopause yet because 12 months haven’t gone by yet.
Why is Perimenopause not Talked about Enough
So according to Dunn’s book and other experts, why isn’t perimenopause talked about enough? They may associate it with getting older. At least that’s what Ellen Dolgen, a menopause activist who has her blog called Menopause Mondays says. She had this same belief. “We associate menopause with being old, so nobody wants to be in it,” she says. “And I was a perfect example of that.” She started experiencing symptoms of perimenopause in her 40s.
Not only is it not talked about enough, many women don’t even know much about perimenopause. A 2022 survey from Bonafide, a company that makes menopause products, states that nearly a third of American women in the survey aren’t aware of this phase before menopause.
According to the National Institutes of Health, perimenopause could last around seven years, but it could become longer, extending to fourteen years. This is the stage before menopause where our bodies start to experience a second puberty and our hormone system starts to recalibrate. It’s considered a normal stage of a woman’s life, but it’s important to be aware of it. Continue educating yourself about perimenopause and consult your doctor with questions.
What do you know about perimenopause? Were you initially aware of this stage in a woman’s life? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next woman starting this stage in her life whom you know.
