Perimenopause or Menopause transition is a medical condition which begins a few years before menopause in a women’s reproductive life. This state can start just before two years or as early as say, before ten to fifteen years before menopause. It indicates time near to actual menopause when the initial symptoms of menopause start cropping up. The hormonal changes take their course, wherein a reduction in the levels of the main hormone oestrogen is seen as the ovaries fail to function normally. The actual age when one reaches Perimenopause depends a lot on heredity factors. The age when Perimenopause actually sets in can also vary widely from as early as thirty years to mid-forties when you start noticing the initial symptoms as a result of hormonal imbalance.
This phase ends only after the diagnosis of menopause which occurs at an average age of fifty years in majority of women when changes start in the ovaries. This is further seen in the form of fluctuations in critical hormone levels such as progesterone and oestrogen resulting in initial symptoms which become more prominent as one reaches actual menopause or even a few years before. The duration of this phase too can vary from one individual to another from as less as four months to a maximum of ten years and on an average of about four years.
Signs
As already mentioned, initial signs of Perimenopause can start many years before the actual menopause and you may experience a few signs or many. Signs are usually detected by a physician or may remain unnoticed whereas symptoms are more prominent in nature.
Common signs
The first noticeable change can be in the form of irregular periods when all other causes such as blood clotting problems, fibroids, other hormonal imbalances etc are ruled out by your health care provider. A natural shift is seen from the otherwise regular periods when the ovaries start to dysfunction.
1. Other signs such as erratic hot flashes can occur due to changes in oestrogen levels.
2. Mood swings with varying degree of irritability are also experienced by women similar to their pre-menstrual symptoms.
3. You may be more prone to UTI – Urinary Tract Infections and may also experience other initial signs like urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness due to decrease in natural lubrication levels.
4. Disturbances in one’s sleep routine occur like having trouble to fall asleep or getting back to sleep accompanied by night sweats.
5. A gradual dip in energy levels and increased breast tenderness is also seen.
Symptoms
Diagnosis of Perimenopause is usually made on the basis of the symptoms and various laboratory tests to check hormonal levels. Some symptoms seem similar to medical conditions like Thyroid disorders, so it better to consult a physician for better evaluation and to arrive at an accurate diagnosis of this menopausal transition. The period following Perimenopause is considered as Post-Menopausal, so most of the notable symptoms are actually seen in the Perimenopause phase. The symptoms are in the form of:
1. Heart palpitations
2. Hot flashes accompanied with night sweats: seen in majority of women in Perimenopause state varying in intensity, duration and occurrence.
3. Irregular Periods is another symptom and it can be scanty or with over-bleeding due to irregular ovulation patterns.
4. Psychological changes in the form of mood changes and behavior
5. Dryness in the vaginal area
6. Urinary incontinence
7. Loss of moisture and elasticity in the skin
6. Sleep disturbances
9. More frequent urinary tract infections
Symptoms vary from one individual to another while some find these difficult to bear while others may never face any at all.
Conclusion
Some women do experience more of these symptoms than others but a reassuring fact is that treatments are available to manage these fluctuations in hormones, so as to feel better. Incorporating some self-management techniques like adopting a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and physical exercise, maintaining a calendar to track the changes and progress etc does help. You may face memory and concentration loss to an extent, so taking some vitamin supplements under guidance, results in betterment of your existing condition.
The problems can be further discussed with your clinician for remedies when they actually start disrupting your routine, so this is the right time to take charge of your health as a priority. Accept the fact that changes have started in your body and don’t panic, as this transition is natural. It is better to put forward an optimistic approach to tackle the issue as this is the way to get back to be healthier.