Premenopause Diagnosis

Premenopause is the first stage of menopause, and it marks the transition of leaving your child-bearing years behind and entering into menopause. All women will experience premenopause. In order to have it diagnosed, you must be familiar with the symptoms.

Identification

• Premenopause, medically known as perimenopause, is the two- to eight-year transition period that ends right before menopause begins. This stage affects women in their late 30s to late 40s, and in some cases women older than this may experience premenopause.

Causes

• In the years leading up to menopause, levels of the female hormone estrogen rise and decline erratically in a woman's body. Each time the level drops, it declines more and more---until it declines enough for menopause to begin.

Symptoms

• Premenopause symptoms include abnormal menstrual cycles (short, long, heavy, light, or sporadic); hot flashes, fatigue, insomnia, mood changes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings.

Diagnosis

• Since premenopause is a gradual process that takes years to complete, there is no one test that determines whether you are going through premenopause. Your physician will need to evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and your hormone levels to make this diagnosis.

Treatments

• Treatments for premenopause concentrate on the symptoms rather than the condition itself. The first course of treatment is the use of oral contraceptives to regulate the hormones. This helps to regulate the cycle and also to minimize some of the premenopausal symptoms. Another treatment is the insertion of an IUD (intrauterine device) that releases small amounts of progestin, in order to minimize bleeding.