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Article Series: Menopause
Menopause Symptoms and Relief
What
Is Perimenopause?
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.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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