Many people believe that a woman will produce less reproductive hormones and see a reduction in menstrual period during menopause, but this is not entirely true. There is actually the period shortly before when menopause would start and this is called perimenoupause. For menopause, you would count from the last period to twelve months. Read on to find out what is perimenopause.
Perimenopause happens naturally in a woman’s life once her body starts to transition into the menopause stage. It covers the years which lead up to menopause, the time when the period has stopped completely for a year. Depending on the woman, perimenopause can last from 2 to 10 years.
If you are approaching the menopausal age, you should be aware of the perimenopause signs so that you can take better care of yourself throughout this time and prepare for the changes.
How to know if you are close to perimenopause
As you go through the natural change of life, the process might take several years without you having to do a surgery or any other medical procedure or treatment that instigates it. Some women notice that their periods are unpredictable and it might take several months for them to have one, while others have several periods in a month with a much heavier flow. It is also not uncommon for a woman to gain weight during perimenopause because the body is trying to adjust to the changes in the hormone level. On other hand, some women lose weight and experience the total opposite during perimenopause.
It is usually difficult for anyone to self-diagnose a medical change in the early stages. In this case, you could miss a period because of excess of stress and not perimenopause. The best way to know for sure would be to take some tests. There are home tests that you can do on your own or you could visit your doctor to get it done. Bear in mind that your doctor might give some more sensitive tests to get an accurate diagnosis as well as to rule out any other possibilities, even if you do the test at home.
Treatments
Perimenopause treatments are usually given based on personal choices as well as what is most appropriate for the symptoms. Many women go through this change with little difficulty and relatively few symptoms. Other women might experience extreme symptoms and will need all the help they can get to make the transition as smooth as possible. You can opt to use natural treatments such as progesterone cream or take HRT to treat your symptoms.
On a whole, you can have a liberating experience during perimenopause if you are taking good care of your symptoms and in the right mental state. There are many effective natural treatment options available to help you with the difficult symptoms during your menopause.
