|  | Family Health | Womens Health

Pregnancy & Premenopause

Premenopause is the time of a woman's life from her very first regular menstrual period to her very last. It is often confused with the term "perimenopause," which refers to the time of a woman's life when her body begins to have fluctuating hormone production and signals the beginning of menopause, when a woman's periods end. Perimenopause usually begins about 10 years before menopause occurs.

  1. The Menstrual Cycle

    • The menstrual cycle occurs approximately every 28 days in healthy women. During this time, several chemical and hormonal occurrences take place in a woman's body, during which time an egg is released, which is called ovulation. If the egg becomes fertilized, it will attempt to attach to the uterine wall, where a fetus will begin to develop. If the egg remains unfertilized, or if the fertilized egg is unable to attach to the uterine wall, it is expelled in a woman's monthly flow, the period.

    Pregnancy

    • If the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall, many changes will take place both to the developing zygote and to the woman's body. Hormone production will now become the responsibility of the placenta. The woman's periods should stop during pregnancy, but in rare cases, the woman will continue to ovulate and have periods despite the fact that she is already pregnant.

    Perimenopause

    • During this time in a woman's life, estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries will begin to decrease. This stage in a woman's life will usually begin at about age 35 or 40 and will continue for approximately 10 years before actual menopause occurs. During this time, a woman will begin experiencing hot flashes, mood swings, irregular periods and other symptoms commonly reported during "the change." It may be harder for a woman to become pregnant during this time, due to fluctuating hormone levels.

    Menopause

    • According to FemHealth, a company that has done extensive research involving premenopause and menopause in women, actual menopause does not occur until about one year after a woman stops having a regular monthly period. At this time, estrogen and progesterone levels have reached an extremely low level, ovulation no longer occurs and the ability to become pregnant naturally no longer exists. The production of estrogen is taken over by the body's fat cells, which are only able to produce about 40 percent of the body's former estrogen production. The ovaries begin to shrink, although they will continue to produce small amounts of hormones for several years.

    Early Perimenopause

    • If a woman begins to experience symptoms associated with perimenopause at an early age (20 to 30 years old), it is referred to as early perimenopause and is not considered normal. Treatment with adjunctant hormone therapy may need to be initiated, especially if the woman wants to become pregnant.

Womens Health - Related Articles