What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause (also referred to as the menopause transition) is when your body starts transitioning to menopause. During this transition, your ovaries begin producing less hormones, causing your menstrual cycle to become erratic or irregular. At this time, your body is moving toward the end of your reproductive years.
Perimenopause may begin as early as your mid-30s or as late as your mid-50s. Some people are in perimenopause for only a short time. But for many, it lasts four to eight years. The term perimenopause simply describes the time when your cycles are no longer predictable.
Other physical changes and symptoms can occur as your body adjusts to different hormone levels. During perimenopause, your fertility is declining, but you still can become pregnant. The symptoms of perimenopause, the age it starts and how long it lasts will vary between women. You’re out of perimenopause and into menopause once you’ve had 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period.
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What is the difference between perimenopause and menopause?
Perimenopause is a transitional time that ends in menopause. Menopause means your periods have ended. When you have no menstrual cycle for a full 12 months, you have officially reached menopause.
Why does perimenopause happen?
Your ovaries begin to produce less estrogen as you age in preparation to stop releasing eggs entirely. Ultimately, your body is preparing to transition to menopause, when you lose the ability to get pregnant. It’s a natural and normal progression in a woman’s reproductive cycle.
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At what age does perimenopause begin?
Perimenopause begins about eight to 10 years before menopause. It usually starts in your mid-40s, but it can start earlier. Completing menopause before age 40 is called premature menopause. Some medical conditions or procedures cause early menopause. If there is no medical or surgical cause for premature menopause, it's called primary ovarian insufficiency.
How long does perimenopause last?
The average length of perimenopause is about four years. Some people may only be in this stage for a few months, while others will be in this transition phase for more than four years. If you’ve gone more than 12 months without having a period, you are no longer in perimenopause.
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What are the hormonal changes during perimenopause?
The hormonal changes you experience during perimenopause are mostly caused by declining estrogen levels. Your ovaries make estrogen, which plays a vital role in maintaining the reproductive system. Once you enter perimenopause, your estrogen levels start to decrease. As estrogen decreases, it throws off the balance with progesterone, another hormone produces by the ovaries. These two hormones together are responsible for ovulation and menstruation. It’s common for hormone levels to fluctuate during perimenopause — to go up and down like a rollercoaster.
When you reach menopause, your body makes so little estrogen that your ovaries no longer release eggs. At this point, you stop having your period.
What are the first signs of perimenopause?
Generally, the first sign of perimenopause is irregular periods. Most people will go from having fairly predictable menstrual cycles to unpredictable cycles. A lot of people also experience the most common signs of menopause like hot flashes and vagin*l dryness (vagin*l atrophy) fairly early into the menopause transition.
