Perimenopause can begin in some women in their 30s, but most often it starts in women ages 40 to 44. It is marked by changes in menstrual flow and in the length of the cycle. There may be sudden surges in estrogen.
Perimenopause, or menopause transition, begins several years before menopause. It's the time when the ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen. It usually starts in women's 40s, but can start in their 30s or even earlier. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.
Perimenopause is a process — a gradual transition. No one test or sign is enough to determine if you've entered perimenopause. Your doctor takes many things into consideration, including your age, menstrual history, and what symptoms or body changes you're experiencing.
Your GP can usually confirm whether you are menopausal based on your symptoms, but a blood test to measure your hormone levels may be carried out if you're aged 40 to 45. Blood tests may also be carried out to help diagnose suspected premature menopause if you're under 40 and have menopausal symptoms.
Vitamin E is known to dramatically reduce the severity and frequency of perimenopausal hot flashes. Its antioxidant properties also lower your chances for depression, heart disease, and weight gain while relieving stress. Up your dose of vitamin E by consuming nuts, seeds, wheat germ, broccoli, spinach, and shellfish.
Can you self-diagnose perimenopause? No, you cannot conclusively self-diagnose perimenopause. At-home test kits measure certain hormones, and these levels may suggest you are in menopause or perimenopause. However, the results are qualitative, meaning they cannot definitively diagnose perimenopause.
“We discovered that menopause speeds up cellular aging by an average of 6 percent,” said Horvath, who is also a professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “That doesn't sound like much but it adds up over a woman's lifespan.” Take, for example, a woman who enters early menopause at age 42.
During perimenopause, your discharge may take on a brownish tint. It may also be thin and watery or thick and clumpy. These changes usually aren't cause for concern.
Diagnosis of of perimenopause
Hormone testing is done through a hormone panel to test your levels of estrogen and other sex-linked hormones. This kind of testing can often show whether you are nearing or in menopause.
Your estrogen levels drop and you may have markedly irregular menstrual cycles. On top of irregular periods, hormonal changes can lead to weight gain, hot flashes, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness, mood changes, and depression. Perimenopause ends with menopause, at which point you have not had a period for 12 months.
However, you may want to talk to a perimenopause doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms: Your periods are very heavy or they include blood clots. Your periods last much longer than usual. You experience spotting either between periods or after sex.
Causes of early menopause
Early menopause can happen naturally if a woman's ovaries stop making normal levels of certain hormones, particularly the hormone oestrogen. This is sometimes called premature ovarian failure, or primary ovarian insufficiency.
The hormonal changes of menopause might make you more likely to gain weight around your abdomen than around your hips and thighs. But, hormonal changes alone don't necessarily cause menopause weight gain. Instead, the weight gain is usually related to aging, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors.
How Long Does Perimenopause Last? The average length of perimenopause is 4 years, but for some women this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Perimenopause ends when women have gone 12 months without having their period.
Jowls, slack skin, and wrinkles
Studies show that women's skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. After that, the decline is more gradual. Women lose about 2% of their collagen ever year for the next 20 years. As collagen diminishes, our skin loses it firmness and begins to sag.
Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States. Menopause is a natural biological process.
The perimenopause is when melatonin levels start to naturally reduce, so increasing your intake of magnesium at this time can be particularly beneficial. A diet rich in magnesium is vital for your body to turn digested food and supplements into energy fuel, which is needed to keep you going throughout the day.
Sometimes, elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels are measured to confirm menopause. When a woman's FSH blood level is consistently elevated to 30 mIU/mL or higher, and she has not had a menstrual period for a year, it is generally accepted that she has reached menopause.