The first thing we need to do is answer the question, what is perimenopause? Well it is a process that is also known as pre-menopause. As the latter name suggests it is a process that precedes menopause. Perimenopause starts anywhere between two to ten years before the woman's menstrual cycle come to an end.



The perimenopause stage lasts for an average of about 6 years, but in some cases it may last for 10 years. Women start to go through menopause when pre-menopause comes to an end.

Perimenopause is prevalent in middle aged women, although some women get it even earlier, for example at the age of 35. As perimenopause comes to an end the estrogen levels in a woman's body begins to decline rapidly. Many women worry about perimenopause and menopause, but it shouldn't be this way, premenonpause is a natural process, and as long as you keep yourself clued up about it, it shouldn't give you too much trouble.

A woman usually realizes she is going through perimenopause by its symptoms. There are several symptoms that may occur as a result of this process, some of them are outlined below.

Hot flashes, cold flashes, night sweats, weakened finger nails, tinnitus, anxiety, apprehension, confusion, disorientation, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, thinning hair, or hair loss, increased facial hair, loss of balance, dizziness, mood swings, light headedness, nausea, indigestion, flatulence, burning tongue, bad taste in mouth, burning sensation on the roof of mouth, gastrointestinal distress, change in breath odor, itchy skin, crawly sensation on skin, gum problems, aches and pains in muscle and joints, tingling extremities, and head aches, amongst other symptoms.

As you can see these symptoms can cause great discomfort, however they don't all appear at the same time. The degree to which a woman is affected by these symptoms also depends on the individual, some women tend to suffer from many whilst some luckier women suffer from very few.These symptoms are believed to be caused by the unstable levels estrogens which are a characteristic of this process.

If you are going through perimenopause it is strongly recommended that you visit your physician, that way you will get a proper diagnosis. Furthermore your doctor will be able to recommend the best form of treatment for your symptoms. Many women will tell you that going through perimenopause is a tough period of their life, to make things worse the symptoms of this process can cause other problems, for example night sweats can cause sleeplessness which in turn can weaken your immune system, as you will not be able to get enough rest to keep it working at it's optimum. This is a key reason why you should see your doctor as soon as you get the chance.

This article covered perimenopause symptoms and the reason why they occur.