Perimenopause

“Perimenopause usually happens sometime in your 40s.
On average, it lasts four to six years,
but it can last from one to 10 years”.1

Umbrella

What may the Perimenopause Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Climacteric
  • Late Reproductive Stage (LRS)
  • Menopausal Transition/Transitional Phase
  • Menopause Transition/Transitional Phase
  • Perimenopausal/Peri-menopausal Changes
  • Perimenopause/Peri-menopause
  • The Transition To Menopause
  • Time Leading Up To Menopause

Definition

Perimenopause What is perimenopause?

DotS the definition of perimenopause may vary.

In Menopause: Key Facts the World Health Organization’s definition is:

  • “The menopausal transition can be gradual, usually beginning with changes in the menstrual cycle. Perimenopause refers to the period from when these signs are first observed and ends one year after the final menstrual period”.2

On page four in Menopause Terminology: Glossary of Terms [English] the International Menopause Society’s definition is:

“Perimenopause – the time before; around and just after the actual moment of menopause”.3

In The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Definitions, published online 30 October 2023, the authors’ definition is:

  • “Perimenopause is the time from the onset of cycle irregularity through until 12 months after the final menstrual period”.4

First Sign

What is usually the first sign of perimenopause?

In Menopause: Symptoms – Common Symptoms of Menopause and Perimenopause: Changes To Your Periods the NHS explain:

“The first sign of the perimenopause is usually, but not always, a change in the normal pattern of your periods, for example they become irregular.

Eventually you’ll stop having periods altogether”.5

Physical Symptoms

What may some physical symptoms include?

In Symptoms of Menopause: Physical and Emotional Symptoms — Physical Symptoms the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) explain:

Perimenopause

“Physical symptoms may include:

  • Irregular periods
  • Hot flushes
  • Night sweats
  • Sleep problems
  • Sore breasts
  • Itchy, crawly or dry skin
  • Exhaustion and fatigue
  • Dry vagina
  • Loss of sex drive (libido)
  • Headaches or migraines
  • More pronounced premenstrual tension (PMS)
  • Aches and pains
  • Bloating
  • Urinary problems
  • Weight gain due to a slower metabolism”.6

Emotional Symptoms

What may some emotional symptoms include?

In Symptoms of Menopause: Physical and Emotional Symptoms — Psychological and Emotional Symptoms the JH explain:

“Psychological and emotional symptoms may include:

  • Feeling irritable or frustrated
  • Feeling anxious
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Brain fog
  • Forgetfulness
  • Lowered mood
  • Mood swings
  • Feeling you can’t cope as well as you used to”.7

Common or Not

How common are menopausal symptoms?

On page one in Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause one of the recommendations is:

“The menopause transition can have a significant impact on many women, with more than 75% experiencing menopausal symptoms and a quarter describing their symptoms as severe. A third experience long-term symptoms, which may last as much as 7 years or longer”.8

Start

When may perimenopause start?

In Perimenopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview the (United States) Mayo Clinic elaborate on:

“Women start perimenopause at different ages. You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s”.9

In What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Perimenopause? the JH also note:

“Perimenopause usually happens sometime in your 40s. On average, it lasts four to six years, but it can last from one to 10 years”.10

Duration

How long can perimenopause last?

In What Is Menopause? What Is Perimenopause (the Menopausal Transition)? the Australasian Menopause Society elaborate on:

“Some women can experience menopausal symptoms for 5-10 years before their final menstrual period. Age at which a woman’s menopausal symptoms will start or how long they will last, is not able to be predicted”.11

Menopause

When does perimenopause stop and menopause officially start?

In Perimenopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview the Mayo Clinic explain:

“Once you’ve gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, you’ve officially reached menopause, and the perimenopause period is over”.12

Hormone Therapy

Can hormone therapy help improve symptoms of menopause?

In Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns, dated 20 July 2023, the Mayo Clinic note:

“Although it is often a source of concern, hormone therapy also can help improve symptoms of menopause. Estrogen therapy is still the most effective treatment option for relieving hot flashes. Estrogen also helps prevent bone loss. There are also nonhormonal options. It is important to talk to your healthcare team about the risks and benefits of each treatment, and which one is right for you”.13

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help with perimenopause?

If you would like help with perimenopause, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

In What Is Menopause? When To See Your Doctor the JH explain:

“Talk to your doctor if you are worried about:

  • Irregular periods
  • Heavy bleeding
  • Bleeding after menopause
  • Increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms
  • Menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, that interfere with your daily life”.14

In Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment the Mayo Clinic elaborate on:

“Before deciding on any form of treatment, talk with your healthcare professional about your choices and the risks and benefits of each. Review your choices yearly. Your needs and the treatment choices may change”.15

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Perimenopause?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Perimenopause?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Periemnopause

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 5 Things You Didn’t Realise You Need To Know About Perimenopause
  2. 9 Less Common Perimenopause Symptoms and How to Manage Them
  3. A Guide To Birth Control In Your 40s and 50s
  4. ACOG Explains: Managing Menopause Symptoms [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]
  5. BMS Statement on Testosterone [26 July 2024]
  6. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  7. CAMS Menopause Hour: Perimenopause – A Clinical Challenge
  8. Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2024 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  9. Contraception and the Menopause
  10. Diagnosing Menopause
  11. Diagnostic Tests for Menopause
  12. Do My Period Changes Mean Perimenopause?
  13. Does Having Hot Flashes Mean I’ve Started Menopause?
  14. EMAS On-Demand Webinars [European Menopause and Andropause Society] [Multiply Languages]: Benefits of Oral Combined MHT for Estrogen Deficiency Symptoms Treatment (EN)
  15. Everything You Need To Know About Perimenopause
  16. Experts Answer Your Menopause Questions In New Video
  17. FAQs: Perimenopausal Bleeding and Bleeding After Menopause
  18. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  19. Find An AMS Doctor [Australian Members and New Zealand Members]
  20. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  21. First Symptoms of Menopause
  22. HRT Is Not #contraception and So If You Are Perimenopausal Then Added Contraception Is Needed
  23. HRT Questions Answered
  24. Hot Flashes
  25. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  26. How Is Perimenopause Treated?
  27. How To Deal With Perimenopause Cramps
  28. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  29. How To Talk To Your Doctor About Midlife Brain Fog
  30. How To Tell You’re Near the End of Perimenopause
  31. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  32. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Signs and Symptoms of Menopause [+ Video: Talking Menopause With Your GP] [Other Languages and Formats]
  33. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Supporting Someone Through the Menopause [+ Video: Men Don’t Need To Know About Menopause] [Other Languages and Formats]
  34. Let’s Talk About Perimenopause
  35. Management of Perimenopausal and Menopausal Symptoms
  36. Management of Unscheduled Bleeding on HRT
  37. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  38. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  39. Mayo Clinic Minute: Perimenopause and Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  40. Menopause
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  43. Menopause Checklist Podcast
  44. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
  45. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – Stages of Menopause: Perimenopause
    Perimenopause
  46. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  47. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: What Is Menopause?
  48. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  49. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  50. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  51. Menopause and Mental Health
  52. Menopause: Ensuring A Tranquil Transition
  53. Menopause: Things You Can Do
  54. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP #256
  55. Menopauseinfo.org [Menopause Info, International Menopause Society]
    Periemnopause
  56. Menstrual Calendar
  57. Mood and the Menopause
  58. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  59. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245 [Video]
  60. Navigating Menopause: Honest Answers To All Your Questions [+ Video: What To Expect in Menopause]
  61. Night Sweats
  62. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  63. “Not feeling like myself” In Perimenopause — What Does It Mean? Observations From the Women Living Better Survey
  64. Peri-Menopause and Irregular Periods
  65. Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Bleeding
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  68. Perimenopause Usually Begins In Your 40s. How Do You Know If It Has Started?
  69. Perimenopause and Menopause Checklist: Translated Checklists
  70. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptom Checklist
    Perimenopause Symptom Checklist
  71. Perimenopause, Menopause and … Weightlifting? Expert Explains Value for Bone Health
  72. Perimenopause: Rocky Road To Menopause
  73. Promoting Good Mental Health Over the Menopause Transition
  74. Severe Mental Illness and the Perimenopause
  75. The Impact of the Menopause [Video]
  76. The Importance of Nutrition In Menopause and Perimenopause—A Review
  77. The Menopause Society Statement on Misinformation Surrounding Hormone Therapy [September 2024]
    Menopause News September 2024 What’s Hot
  78. The Lancet: Series From the Lancet Journal – Menopause 2024
  79. The Relation Between Perinatal Depression and Perimenopause
  80. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  81. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  82. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  83. Video & Podcast Library: Videos – World Menopause Day 2024: Menopause and Hormone Therapy: Current Perspectives and Controversies [18 October 2024]
  84. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Menopause and Hormone Therapy: Current Perspectives and Controversies
  85. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Metabolic Syndrome in Midlife Women
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  87. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  88. Webinars: Previous – Approach To Bone Health In the Perimenopause and Postmenopause?
  89. Webinars: Previous – Menopausal Migraines
  90. Webinars: Previous – Perimenopausal Contraception
  91. What Is Menopause?
  92. What Is Menopause?
  93. What Is Menopause? [+ Video]
  94. What Is the Menopause?Menopause
  95. When Does Perimenopause Start and How Do You Define the Beginning [Video]
  96. Why Is Bleeding so Heavy?
  97. Why Is FSH Not Needed for Diagnosis of Menopause [Video]
  98. World Menopause Day 2024
  99. World Menopause Day 2024: Leaflet for Women
  100. World Menopause Day 2024: Poster for Women

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Perimenopause? Last Updated: 31 October 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 06 November 2024
  2. Menopause: Key Facts. 16 October 2024. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause Accessed: 06 November 2024
  3. Glossary of Terms [English]. October 2022:4. International Menopause Society https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMS-English-Factsheet-4-glossary.pdf Accessed: 06 November 2024
  4. Davis, S. R., Taylor, S., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., and Islam, R. M. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Definitions. Published Online: 30 October 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 Accessed: 06 November 2024
  5. Menopause: Symptoms – Common Symptoms of Menopause and Perimenopause: Changes To Your Periods. Page Last Reviewed: 17 May 2022. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/ Accessed: 06 November 2024
  6. Symptoms of Menopause: Physical and Emotional Symptoms — Physical Symptoms. Last Updated: 30 October 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms#physical-and-emotional-symptoms Accessed: 06 November 2024
  7. Symptoms of Menopause: Physical and Emotional Symptoms — Psychological and Emotional Symptoms. Last Updated: 30 October 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms#physical-and-emotional-symptoms Accessed: 06 November 2024
  8. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:1 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 06 November 2024
  9. Perimenopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview. 25 May 2023. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20354666 Accessed: 06 November 2024
  10. What Is Menopause? Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause – Perimenopause? Last Updated: 31 October 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause Accessed: 06 November 2024
  11. What Is Menopause? What Is Perimenopause (the Menopausal Transition)? Content Created May 2022. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/hp/information-sheets/185-what-is-menopause Accessed: 06 November 2024
  12. Perimenopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview. 25 May 2023. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20354666 Accessed: 06 November 2024
  13. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns. 20 July 2023. Mayo Clinic https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-perimenopause-transitions-and-concerns/ Accessed: 06 November 2024
  14. What Is Menopause? When To See Your Doctor. Last Updated: 31 October 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/about-menopause/ Accessed: 06 November 2024
  15. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment. 07 August 2024. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353401 Accessed: 06 November 2024
Topic Last Updated: 27 November 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 06 November 2024

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