The symptoms of the perimenopause

Menopause is the last day of menstruation, but you won't know it happened until you haven't menstruated for 12 months.. This can happen from age 40 (sometimes even younger, in which we call it early menopause), but the average at which you reach menopause is about 51. In the period, a couple of years, before you reach menopause, you notice that things are changing in your body and your mind. We call this the perimenopause. For one person, it is very clear what’s happening, but for the other the symptoms are quite vague and they don’t easily link it to the perimenopause. 

What are the symptoms of perimenopause?

A couple of perimenopause symptoms are well known. Think about the night sweats or the hot flashes. But did you know that there are many more symptoms? Perhaps you didn’t even know that these are linked to the perimenopause, but they are!

We created a  list of a few of the perimenopause symptoms:

• changing cycle with less or more heavy bleeding or a very irregular cycle or very short or very long menstruations

• vaginal dryness

• hot flashes

• night sweats

• cold flashes, feeling clammy

• difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep

• mood swings

• anxiety and low mood

• lack of concentration

• brain fog

• struggle dealing with stress

• weight gain (mostly round the tummy)

• hair thinning and dry skin

• breast tenderness

• muscle aches and joint pain

• recurrent urinary tract infections

Most people only start thinking about the perimenopause when their cycle starts to change. But the decrease of progesterone starts at age 40 (and often a bit earlier), followed by a decrease of the hormone estrogen. This causes a hormonal imbalance with perimenopausal symptoms as the result. A changing cycle doesn’t have to be the first symptom. It is entirely possible that you experience tiredness, brain fog, or feeling low. Unfortunately, these symptoms are not always recognized as something associated with menopause.