Premenopause Signs

Premenopause, also called perimenopause, is the biological stage in a woman's life just before she reaches menopause. Although estimates of the duration of pre-menopause vary between 2 and 15 years, the interval usually begins at the average age of 45. However, some women experience it as early as the mid-twenties and as late as the fifties and beyond.

Features

• Both premenopause and menopause are a natural part of the female life cycle, not diseases. They mark the end of the reproductive years, when the ovaries stop producing eggs for fertilization, making a woman unable to conceive. Menopause occurs when a woman hasn't had a period in twelve consecutive months, and pre-menopause consists of the changes leading up to that single point, as levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone continually decrease and fluctuate.

Symptoms

• All women become less likely to conceive as their ovulation fluctuates during pre-menopause, often producing a changed menstrual cycle, with periods becoming longer, shorter, lighter, heavier, or irregular. Hot flashes and night sweats (sudden eruptions of heat in the upper torso and around the head that cause profuse sweating) also emerge in approximately 70 percent of women. The heat varies in intensity, and the episode sometimes ends with a chill and often disrupts sleep. Additional signs include hair loss or thinning, incontinence, mood swings, poor concentration, sleeping problems without hot flashes, and vaginal dryness and infections.

Treatments

• Women can control many pre-menopause symptoms with simple lifestyle changes. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol can decrease hot flashes because both substances are triggers. Exercising regularly increases endorphins (bodily substances that elevate mood), which improves sleep and mood, and also helps prevent weight gain. Practicing techniques that eliminate or reduce stress, such as yoga, promotes relaxation and reduces mood swings.

  Moreover, eating a nutritious diet rich in calcium, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains can improve overall health and help prevent heart disease and osteoporosis, which become increasingly likely during pre-menopause because reduced estrogen leads to bone loss, higher levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lower levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Considerations

• Other common-sense methods can help manage premenopause symptoms. For instance, to keep cool during hot flashes, wear loose clothing. Use a fan or air conditioner accordingly during warmer periods. Participating in an enjoyable hobby or sport can make it easier to control one's mood and possibly maintain a healthy weight. Using a lubricant combats vaginal dryness. Additionally, some women use hormone therapy, which involves taking low doses of estrogen and/or progestin to replace the body's reduced natural supply.

Risks

• Awareness of the risks for experiencing premenopause at an earlier age allows women to avoid them, if possible, in order to delay the associated symptoms. The factors include smoking, undergoing a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), and never having a child. Risks that can't be avoided include heredity (having a mother or sisters who reached menopause at a young age) and treatment for cancer during childhood that involved chemotherapy or radiation in the pelvic area.