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Irregular Periods & Pre Menopause

The changes that are going on in the body during pre-menopause may cause a woman's menstrual cycles to become irregular. This type of irregularity is perfectly normal during pre-menopause, and will happen to most women during this time.

  1. What is Pre-Menopause?

    • Pre-menopause is also known as perimenopause. Perimenopause is the initial stage of menopause called menopause transition. This stage usually lasts two to eight years.

    Natural Causes

    • During pre-menopause the hormones estrogen and progesterone rise and fall sporadically. This rise and fall causes menstrual periods to become irregularly heavy, light or absent.

    Abnormal Causes

    • Although irregular bleeding may be part and parcel of going through pre-menopause, there may be underline medical conditions causing this irregularity. One such condition is uterine polyps, which form in the uterus due to an overgrowth of endometrial cells and are caused by hormonal irregularity. Other causes include endometriosis, polycycstic ovarian syndrome, ovarian cysts, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

    Symptoms

    • Symptoms of pre-menopause are irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and depression.

    Treatments

    • Treatments of irregular menses due to pre-menopause usually consists of taking an oral contraceptive. There are many different types of oral contraceptives, so patients need to discuss which which will work best with a physician.

    Special Considerations

    • Women in the pre-menopausal stage whose menstrual cycles become irregular, who notice much heavier bleeding than usual or who have bleeding accompanied with pain need to notify a physician immediately.

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