Saturday, February 11, 2012

Understanding and surviving perimenopause

(MedTrackAlert) UPDATED 2008-02-27
Most people think of menopause as a transition that can last anywhere from several months to several years. Actually, menopause lasts only a day. It's the day that a woman hasn't had period for 12 months in a row.

Perimenopause is the technically correct term for the transition to menopause. Perimenopause is when you start having hot flashes, irregular periods, and trouble sleeping. Some researchers say there are 35 symptoms of perimenopause.

Many of these symptoms are caused by the loss of estrogen. During perimenopause, a woman's body slowly stops producing this hormone that affects almost all parts of the body. There are estrogen receptors in the brain, breasts, heart, blood vessels, uterus, vagina, bladder, liver, bones, skin, and digestive tract. With all these systems adjusting to a lack of estrogen, you can see why menopause is a total-body experience.

When it starts
The average age for the start of menopause is 51. Most women start to experience symptoms between the ages of 45 and 55.Some studies have suggested that women who smoke may start menopause before age 45.

When perimenopause starts, you may notice these symptoms:
  • Night sweats, often followed by a chill
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Irritability or depression
  • Trouble focusing
  • Hair loss or thinning on your head
When to worry
Irregular periods are a sure sign that you've started perimenopause. You may bleed twice a month or once every other month. Most of the time, this is normal. However, you should see your doctor if:
  • Bleeding is so heavy that you have to change tampons or pads every hour
  • Bleeding lasts longer than eight days
  • Bleeding occurs between periods
  • Periods regularly occur less than 21 days apart
This kind of bleeding may signal a gynecological problem that requires diagnosis and treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Some doctors prescribe birth control pills to make your cycle more regular during this time. Hormone replacement therapy can also ease some of the other symptoms of perimenopause.

How to cope
In addition to medications that can help you through perimenopause, many women find that exercise and changing their diets can help.This site has a collection of personal stories about the transition to menopause.
There are several Web sites that use humor and shared experience to discuss adjusting to the change of life.

You can also keep up with the latest news on MedTrackAlert. Information--combined with enough patience to wait out the transition--should help make this phase of your life a little easier.

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See all Menopause News
Related: hormone replacement therapy

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