One of the comments from my last sharepost was, “A woman knows her body by the time she is 40ish.” That comment made me wonder – when do women realize that they are entering perimenopause? I, for one, sure didn’t understand the changes that my body was undergoing for quite a bit.

The thought started to dawn on me when I began realizing that I was experiencing sudden irrational displays of anger (and at times, temper tantrums and crying jags) once a month. (Just a note: I believe most of my family members and friends would have called me even-tempered throughout my life with rare blow-ups, so these sudden eruptions would have been considered unusual.) Once I started seeing a pattern and tried to analyze what was behind these uncharacteristic mood swings, I realized that the outbursts tended to happen about a week before the onset of my period – and that my period was getting heavier and wasn’t as consistent in appearing at a regular monthly time. That realization forced me to realize that something was going on physically. So for the past few years I’ve chronicled on a calendar when my period appears and make sure I take a deep breath if I begin to feel the urge to lash out at someone the week prior.

It turns out that I’m not alone. For some, there are no symptoms that they’ve entered a different phase. Kathy recounted, “I realized I was in perimenopause when my doctor told me after my annual check-up and blood test. My hormone levels were changing. I wasn't having any symptoms I was aware of.”

Another friend said, “I’ve always had really heavy periods. You know, the two tampons plus a pad type. Plus, the first day was always hell and survived only with the help of 14 Tylenol and one bottle of red wine. I remember a few years ago when I was driving my daughter to a dance class. She was probably 15 or so at the time. I remember thinking, you poor soul, I only have a few more years of this, but you have 35 more years. Although I was always on a regular schedule, I never really kept up with it on a calendar. My mood swings and bloated body always gave me a clue as to when it was time to purchase the pain killers and wine. So, it was a surprise to me when I recently realized that I had gone several months without an excuse to get drunk. I really hadn’t thought about it, but I had obviously stopped having a regular period. Sure, there had been a few occasional hot flashes, but were they really hot flashes or just the price we pay for living in the humid south? There had been mood swings, but what woman with two kids, a husband, full-time job, elderly parent and parents-in-law and crashing economy had not felt a little overwhelmed? The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. I am in perimenopause. I’m not sure what the next stage will involve, but this one has not been near as bad as I would have expected. It’s not a barrel of roses, but so far, it has just been a minor inconvenience. My biggest complaint? I no longer have an excuse for a bottle of red wine.”