What is Perimenopause and How Can We Treat the Symptoms? Part 1

For the past few years I have been experiencing constant fatigue, sleeplessness, and frequent urination and I never really figured out the reason.  I thought maybe the constant fatigue and sleeplessness comes from being a mom.  And the frequent urination is due to overactive bladder after giving birth and it comes hand in hand with urinary incontinence due to overstretched and weakened pelvic floor muscles.  People just tell me that’s what happens when you reach 40 and somehow I just have to accept it and live with it.  

When I was growing up, I only heard of the term menopause.  The average age for menopause is around 51 years old so I thought I am far from menopause.  Little did I know that perimenopause can start as early as late 30s to our early 40s.  I did quite a bit of research in this matter and I think I am in the midst of a perimenopause.

The 4 Stages of Menopause:

Pre-Menopause Stage

During the perimenopause stage of life, a woman is having her regular periods and is in her prime childbearing reproductive years.  There are no noticeable changes in your body and any symptoms of perimenopause or menopause.

Perimenopause Stage

Perimenopause is a transitional stage between pre-menopause and menopause. Every woman is different so she may experience none, some, or all of the perimenopausal symptoms. 

Early Perimenopause:

Usually occurs in a woman in her late 30s to early 40s.  Estrogen and progesterone are the 2 major female hormones: progesterone is necessary for preparing the uterine lining for the fertilized egg and most of the estrogens in the body are produced by the ovaries.   When these hormone levels start to change as the ovaries slowly stop working and fewer eggs are being released a woman’s periods start to fluctuate: sometimes shorter span periods, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, may experience no period for a while and/or spotting here and there. During this time, a woman may start to notice changes in temperature regulation, headaches, memory lapses (brain fog and difficulty concentrating), vaginal dryness, and decreased in sex drive.  While fertility is reduced and reproduction is less likely to happen, it is still possible for a woman to get pregnant during perimenopause.

Late perimenopause:

It is where both progesterone and estrogen start to plummet. Skipped and irregular periods will occur more often.  Symptoms may include: hot flashes and night sweats, frequent changes in mood, achiness and joint pains, dry eyes, and sleep disruptions. Progesterone is our calming and feel good hormone, so when there is less in our body, we may feel more restless and can make falling and staying asleep a struggle.  Continual sleep disturbances and insomnia can contribute to the development of anxiety, mood swings and memory lapses.  When your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels decrease, collagen production also decreases which leads to drier and more wrinkles appearing on the skin.  Many women may also experience skin conditions like acne, flare-ups and itchiness, eczema, and even new allergies that you have never had when you were younger.  It’s normal to gain weight around the midsection (waist and upper back ) during perimenopause and menopause.  This happens because of the shift in fat deposit due to the hormonal changes that’s happening at this stage.  Though it’s normal, we still need to watch out because visceral fat (fat that’s deep within the abdominal cavity and surrounds our vital organs such as stomach, liver, and intestines) increases the risk of many diseases: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and cancer.

Menopause Stage

Menopause occurs after a woman has no periods for an entire year (12 consecutive months).  Menopause can affect women ranging from their 30s all the way to their 60s. However, the average age of menopause onset in American women is 51. The ovaries have stopped working entirely and are no longer releasing eggs.  For menopausal women, increased hot flashes may be accompanied by an increased heart rate. Women may also notice a decrease in breast fullness, hair thinning, and an increased growth of facial hair.  Symptoms mentioned in the perimenopause stage: such as urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, sleep problems will continue to carry on during this stage.

Post-Menopause Stage

Post-menopause refers to the final stage of the menopause process, and marks the end of a woman’s reproductive stage of life. Once a woman has surpassed a full year without a menstrual cycle, she is considered to be postmenopausal.  Fortunately during post-menopause, the symptoms that marked the perimenopause and menopause years will begin to subside, your body eventually learns to function with low hormone levels, and symptoms caused by fluctuating hormones may become less troubling or disappear altogether leaving most women physically more comfortable. However, due to decreased estrogen, the risk for health conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease will increase during this stage. 

Which stage of menopause are you or your significant other is at?  What are some of the symptoms you are experiencing?  What are you actively doing to combat or treat those symptoms?  In my next blog I will continue this topic and will go in depth of the different ways of treating or reducing the effects of the common symptoms of perimenopause.  Stay tuned for next month’s blog.

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