Perimenopause: Why Your Periods Might Be Getting Closer Together

What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is a period, usually at the end of your reproductive life, which begins with menstrual irregularities and ends after 1 year of absence of periods. There are two phases in the perimenopause or menopausal transition:

• The early transition, where cycles are primarily regular, with fewer interruptions
• The late transition, where amenorrhea (absence of periods) becomes longer and lasts for at least 2 months.

Your body experiences several changes during this time due to hormonal fluctuations, especially in the levels of estrogen and progesterone. These changes result in numerous physical and mental symptoms. To understand the difference between premenopause, perimenopause, and menopause, you can go to this blog.

Typical Age Range

Perimenopause can start generally in your 40s. However, some women may face this as early as mid-30s or late 50s. It lasts for a few months to many years. Genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors can influence the start age, duration, symptoms, and other complaints. 

What are the common symptoms of perimenopause?

Hormonal changes cause many symptoms during your perimenopause. As Perimenopause is the transitional period, the changes can cause discomfort.

Some of the common symptoms are :

1. Hot Flashes: A hot flash is a sudden feeling of warmth in your body, often followed by sweating. Hot flashes can also happen at night and are known as night sweats. They’re a common symptom during perimenopause. Hot flashes occur when estrogen levels decrease. In response, your glands release higher amounts of other hormones that affect your brain’s temperature control mechanism, causing your body temperature to fluctuate.

2. Mood Swings: Estrogen helps regulate the mood-boosting hormones serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. As estrogen decreases during perimenopause, it can also affect your mood. You may sometimes feel irritated, face brain fog, and feel overwhelmed and emotional.

3. Sleep Disturbances:

Estrogen and progesterone affect your mood and sleep cycle. A lack of these hormones can cause trouble sleeping or even insomnia. Night sweats can also cause discomfort and disturb your sleep cycle. 

4. Changes in the Menstrual Cycle:

The hormones estrogen and progesterone largely control your menstrual cycle. Due to their decrease, your menstrual cycle is also affected. Many symptoms, such as spotting between cycles, irregular periods, abnormally heavy bleeding, missed, short or longer cycles, and changes in the colour of menstrual blood, are seen.

Why Are Your Periods Getting Closer Together?

As your menstrual cycles fluctuate during perimenopause, you can see different changes, including your periods getting closer. There can be many reasons for this:

Reason #1: Hormonal Fluctuations:

Hormonal changes can affect your cycles in the following ways:

1. Decreased Progesterone Production:

During perimenopause, your ovaries may release eggs irregularly, which can cause changes in the levels of your estrogen and progesterone. Lack of progesterone affects your uterine lining and cannot increase much in thickness before shedding, causing shorter and less heavy cycles.

2. Irregular Ovulation:

Due to hormonal imbalances, ovulation can be affected. As your menstrual cycle is influenced by ovulation, any irregularity in ovulation can also affect your menstrual cycles and, at times, cause them to space out closer.

3. Changes in Hormonal Regulation:

Your hormonal activities are controlled by your pituitary gland, which gets the name ‘Master gland’ due to this property. Your pituitary gland signals your ovaries to produce more hormones during menopause to balance the changes in your body. This can often cause your cycles to become shorter as your body tries to adjust to the changes.

4. Reduced Egg Quality and Quantity:

You are born with 1-2 million eggs during birth. As your age advances, the egg quality and quantity changes. During puberty, 300,000 eggs remain, approximately 400 of which are released during your reproductive life. As you near your menopause, the egg quality deteriorates along with a decrease in quantity. After menopause, no viable eggs are present in your body.

5. Early Perimenopause Stages:

Perimenopause is a transitional phase of your body towards menopause. When you enter perimenopause, your body goes through a lot of changes, due to which early or late both types of periods can occur.

Other Factors That Can Affect Menstrual Cycles During Perimenopause

Along with the above-mentioned causes, some other factors can affect your menstrual cycles during perimenopause.

They are as follows:

Reason #2: Stress and Lifestyle:

Stress can negatively affect your health. High stress levels can disturb your hormonal mechanism, leading to more irregular periods and worsening other symptoms.

Reason #3: Weight Changes:

A significant amount of weight gain or loss can affect your hormonal levels and hence affect your menstrual cycle. Hormonal levels can be affected by the percentage of fat present in your body. If you are underweight or overweight, you may miss your periods. However, if you achieve a healthy weight range, it can help to regulate your menstrual cycle.

Reason #4: Underlying Health Conditions:

Lifestyle disorders like thyroid disorders or PCOS affect your hormonal as well as your reproductive system. This can affect the duration of your menstrual cycle length and, at times, also reduce its duration.

Reason #5: Medications: 

Hormonal birth control or antidepressants can alter your hormonal levels. These can cause symptoms, like changes in your menstrual cycle, like irregular periods and spotting or skipped periods, along with weight gain, anxiety or acne issues.

How to Manage Periods That Are Getting Closer Together:

Managing periods during your perimenopause can feel challenging, but don’t worry; here are some tips that can help you:

Tip 1: Track Your Cycle

Your period dates can fluctuate during your perimenopause and menopause. Keep a note of this every month. You can use online apps to help you quickly track your cycle. This helps you understand better if there are any changes in your cycle, which can help you take the necessary steps in case of any changes.

Tip 2: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help you keep your body healthy, which in turn helps regulate your hormones. Some points to keep in mind are:

Tip 3: Balanced Diet

Ensure you include a variety of healthy and nutrient-rich foods in your diet. Adding various foods can help you get all the required nutrients for your body. Include fruits, vegetables, legumes and food rich in omega-3 fatty acids. If your diet lacks any nutrients, then you can add supplements to your diet.

Tip 4: Regular Exercise

Daily exercise helps to manage your hormones. If daily exercise is not possible, you should aim at least 3-4 times a week. It also helps to manage your weight, which can disrupt your hormones when it increases beyond a certain level. It keeps you active and energised the entire day. Ensure you exercise at least for 30-45 minutes for increased effectiveness. You don’t have to do high-intensity exercises like running, swimming or heavy weight lifting; simple exercises like brisk walking help you stay fit and keep your hormones in check. 

Tip 5: Manage Stress

As we know, stress can be one of the main factors in hormone imbalances. Excessive stress can cause many lifestyle disorders, which can even be chronic in the long run. Mindful meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga can help you handle stress and calm your mind.

Medical Options

Lifestyle modifications and adjustments help manage your symptoms but are unreliable treatment options. Medical options can help you go through this phase with ease. However, this works completely only if you have a healthy diet and lifestyle routine.

Below are some of the medical options available which you can explore and discuss with your healthcare provider : 

1. Hormonal Treatments:

We know that the imbalance in hormones estrogen and progesterone causes perimenopausal symptoms. Hormonal treatments use a combination of both these hormones. It is a very effective treatment for balancing your hormones. Low-dose birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are options available in this. They can help to reduce distressing symptoms like irregular periods, pain and heavy bleeding.

2. Non-Hormonal Medications:

Pain relievers like Ibuprofen or other medications are suggested for heavy bleeding or severe cramps.

Apart from this, if you suffer from mood disorders or mental health disorders, antidepressants can be of great use.

3. Consult a Healthcare Provider:

If your symptoms are serious and hinder your daily life, seeking help is very important. A healthcare expert can help you understand if you have any underlying health conditions and provide personalised guidance according to your specific needs and issues.

When to See a Doctor

Changes in the menstrual cycle are a natural mechanism during menopause and perimenopause. Along with this, various other symptoms can hinder your personal life.

It is very important to see a doctor if you notice the following symptoms:

Red Flag: If Your Periods Are Very Close Together and Heavy

If shorter spans between your periods and heavy periods happen frequently, then consulting a healthcare provider can help rule out conditions like fibroids or endometriosis.  

Red Flag: Sudden or Severe Changes in Your Cycle

Changes in your menstrual cycles, if accompanied by severe symptoms that disturb your daily routine, require immediate medical help.

Red Flag: Excessive Bleeding or Severe Pain

Heavy bleeding and excessive pain do happen during your menopause and perimenopause. However, they are abnormal if they are excessive and can indicate an underlying health issue that a healthcare expert can diagnose.

Wrapping Up

Perimenopause is a natural phase which every woman goes through in her life. Periods moving closer together during your perimenopause is a common part of your transition to menopause. Understanding your body, perimenopause, symptoms, and how to manage them can help you handle your symptoms efficiently and smoothly. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, tracking menstrual cycles, and seeking medical guidance whenever necessary can ensure that perimenopause is navigated more comfortably. If you want to know more about this and need expert guidance, you can contact our Nirva healthcare team.