Perimenopause vs. Menopause

Perimenopause is also sometimes referred to as premenopause, it is the few years leading up to actual menoapause. Natural menopause happens for most women in their early 50s, but it may happen naturally from the age of 40 to the age of 65. In the US, the average age of menopause is 52. If menopause occurs before the age of 40, this is not considered “natural”, but it can happen. If a woman loses fertility before 40 years old this is referred to as early menopause, it can happen as a result of medical conditions, medical treatment, or genetic disorders. If menopause is brought on early by surgery, this is also sometimes referred to as “medical menopause”.

Perimenopause symptoms usually start in the mid to late 30s for most women and last several years. The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are exactly the same. Usually irregular periods are one of the first indicators that hormone levels are beginning to decline. Blood flow can be heavier than normal or less than normal, periods will begin to be missed and eventually periods end all together. Other symptoms that are typically associated with perimenopause and menopause are hot flashes, vaginal dryness, facial hair, depression, mood swings, anxiety, memory loss and a loss of sex drive. A couple less common menopause symptoms are tinnitus (ear ringing) and the sensation of things crawling under your skin or a sensation of pins and needles which is called formication.

Perimenopause is considered over when menopause is reached. For the most part, at this point, most women will notice very little difference as perimenopause and menopause appear exactly the same. There is one major difference though, during perimenopause a woman can still get pregnant while menopause marks a complete end to fertility. Menopause isn’t fully determined until a woman goes one full year with absolutely no bleeding, but it actually officially starts on the last day of a woman’s final period. Once menopause is reached, symptoms will gradually begin to decline and eventually totally disappear.