Perimenopause

Perimenopause refers to the period around the onset of menopause, during which the production of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone diminishes and becomes more irregular. During this period, fertility diminishes and ovaries stop releasing eggs. Perimenopause can begin as early as age 35, although it usually begins much later. It can last for a few months or for several years. The duration of perimenopause cannot be predicted in advance. It lasts up until menopause.

Duration of Perimenopause

Perimenopause typically takes a year, but may last as little as six months or more than five years. Some women at this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Perimenopause ends the first year after menopause (when a woman has gone 12 months without having her period).

Symptoms

The symptoms of perimenopause are hot flushes, breast softness, worsening of premenstrual syndrome, tiredness, irregular period, vaginal dryness, urine outflow during coughing and sneezing, urinary pressure, mood swings and bad sleeping.

Conditions of Perimenopause

Usually the irregular periods are common and normal during perimenopause.
You can consult to a doctor if you find an abnormal bleeding. The abnormalities results from the hormonal imbalances, birth control pills, pregnancy, fibroids, blood clotting problems or cancer. The severity can be spotted if your periods are very heavy and accompanied by blood clots. You can also check the duration of periods. If your period last several days longer then usual or occur closer together, the case is serious and need a doctor consult.

Pregnancy During Perimenopause

You may be pregnant during perimenopause stage even though it causes infertility. For some women, pregnancy can be difficult once she is in her late 30s to early 40s. These women can become pregnant by taking fertility-enhancing treatments and techniques. If you do not want to become pregnant during this stage, you should continue to use any of the suitable birth control methods until you reach menopause.

Remedies

Try to consult your doctor at the perimenopausal stage. The doctor can make the diagnosis based on your symptoms. Blood tests to check hormone levels may also be beneficial but may be difficult to evaluate due to erratic fluctuations of hormones during this period. It may be more helpful to have several tests done at different times for comparison.

You can be relieved from hot flashes by taking low-dose birth control pills for a short period, but it can be dangerous if you do not consult the doctor.
Other options may control hot flashes. These are birth control skin patch, vaginal ring, and progesterone injections.

In addition, you may also have to avoid some of your general bad habits and make use of good one. You should do regular exercise and sleep more. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Take multivitamin supplement with calcium and drink a lot of water in a day.


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