All You Should Know About Perimenopause

A woman in her forties would slowly be engulfed in confusion over menopause. She would often be attributing all experienced physical and emotional changes as symptoms that lead to the stage. More so, most women are unnecessarily burdened with dread and apprehension because they lack information on the earlier stages of ending their fecundity. That is why it's important that all women know what happens at the onset of perimenopause and all following stages.

Below are the common signs and symptoms of menopause:

• Altered menstrual periods. As women near menopause, the duration of menstruation is changed and there is a difference from the usual frequency as well. For some, the flow becomes heavier, while others observe notable decrease. It does pose a surprise when the usual three-to-four days of menstruation can last close to two weeks, or come in just two days. Even more surprising is the gap between two periods that's altered as well.

• Hot flashes. Even with the earliest stage of perimenopause, women experience great discomfort and profuse sweating, particularly at night. It starts with a growing heat from their hips up to their heads. This sensation becomes bothersome as it could also be coupled with dizziness, headache and nausea. Even if women in menopausal stages usually become subject for humor, particularly their hot flashes and heavy perspiration, it's a great concern for the medical community to alleviate the burdens in this delicate stage in women.

• Dry down there. While hot flashes are frequently joked about, there's less mention of vaginal dryness. This experience is, however, common among women with menstrual cycles nearing an end. Such dryness also paves way for itchiness in the vaginal area and poses great discomfort similar to symptoms and onset of yeast infections. Because of the anxiety, pain in the vagina and dryness, most women have less sexual desire.

• Emotional swings. At the start of perimenopause and for all the months that follow, women suffer from various emotional changes that are mostly negative. Ranging from mood swings, sudden sulkiness and shortness of temper to insomnia episodes, they find difficulty dealing with menopause. At the same time, people around them are often exasperated with such alterations in their moods, emotion and behavior. At work, they are often found lax and without clarity of routines; at home, they are either too quiet and often in a foul mood. Some women are overburdened with such changes and become depressed as well.

• Hair loss. The change of body hormones during this stage often leads to hair fall, weakening and breaking of strands and general unhealthy hair and scalp condition. Over 40% of women start losing hair and worsens as their menopausal stage sets in.

These signs and symptoms of perimenopause are very common, and with more information, women can actually cope pretty well with each of these. Seeing the doctor is advised if adverse effects are experienced during this stage. It would help if women have a healthy diet and lifestyle, stay active and know more about menopause so the occurrence would be a less stressful experience.

Jim F. Roberts has been expertly writing articles for 5 years on a variety of topics of interest. He also found a great resource on perimenopause that can also help ease menopause experienced by your sister, mom, grandma or your loved one.