Understanding Premenopause, Perimenopause, and Menopause

Menopause: Premenopause vs Perimenopause

Many women find the journey of menopause confusing. Knowledge is empowerment, specifically when it comes to knowing one’s body. The first thing to understand regarding menopause is that it is not a single and sudden transition. It is not like turning a switch ON but rather connecting a circuit. 

The transition occurs slowly through two stages: Premenopause and Perimenopause. Read on to understand these stages better.

What is Premenopause?

The word premenopause literally means the time before menopause. During the premenopause period, most women don’t experience any symptoms of menopause or perimenopause. 

In some cases, the periods may become irregular and subtle hormonal changes might occur during this period. The noticeable changes are very slight during this phase. The majority of a woman’s reproductive years are in this phase, which can last till their early forties.

The key aspects of premenopause:

• Hormone levels are mostly consistent.
• Your periods are regular most of the time.
• No noticeable symptoms or changes.

What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is where the transition really begins. It may start in a woman’s forties but may come early for some women. Significant fluctuations in hormone levels begin during this phase.

Perimenopause means “around menopause”. During this period:

• Oestrogen and progesterone levels start to fluctuate.
• Evident irregularities in your menstrual cycles. 
• Small symptoms of menopause start to occur, like hot flashes and night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness and sleep disturbances.

Perimenopause marks the commencing of hormonal fluctuations that pave the way to your menopause stage. This phase can last many years, usually four to ten years. 

Symptoms of Menopause Explained

One of the crucial and attention-deserving phases of a woman’s life- menopause. This phase is identified when a woman has not had a menstrual period for twelve consecutive months.

Usually, this occurs between ages 45 and 55 but can happen earlier or later for some women. Your ovaries stop producing eggs. This change can impact your hormone levels. Decline of your hormones can affect your body as well as your mind. A series of events occur in reaction to this change within your body. Let’s take a look at them.

It is very essential to know about the symptoms of menopause. Every woman may experience symptoms differently. Some may experience profound and challenging discomfort, while others only encounter mild symptoms. The most common symptoms include:

• Hot Flashes: This is the most common symptom of menopause. Women experience a sensation of heat in their upper body, which is often accompanied by rapid heartbeat and sweating.
• Night Sweats: Another disturbing symptom is night sweats are hot flashes that occur during the night. These can cause sleepless nights and impact your general health.
• Changes in your mood: Sudden hormonal decline due to menopause can badly affect your mood. This can cause stress, anxiety, depression and irritability.
• Vaginal Dryness: Menopause can cause reduced lubrication which leads to painful sexual intercourse

Other than these symptoms, due to hormone level depletion, women can experience weight gain, hair loss, thinning of hair and even skin changes. Further, menopause increases the risk of bone density loss, which can lead to conditions like osteoporosis. 

All these changes don’t happen in a blink. A phase of perimenopause is where the symptoms gradually start to manifest. Read on to find out more.

What Happens in Perimenopause?

In perimenopause, women may experience milder menopause symptoms.

Here again, the symptoms differ from woman to woman. Check out the following table to understand the transitional phase of perimenopause.

Clearly, understanding these changes will help every woman understand more about their body. This will help you make informed decisions regarding their problems related to menopause. The next section deals with management options for the problem discussed. 

Treatments for Perimenopause and Menopause

Both menopause and perimenopause occur as a result of changes in your hormone levels. Balancing the hormone levels through medications is the basic principle behind the treatment. We are happy to guide you through the treatment options that are available.

1. Hormone Replacement Therapy: HRT or hormone replacement therapy involves replacing your declined hormone levels through medications containing female hormones. However, there are better natural options to replace hormone replacement therapy. Read our blog on HRT and Menopause, to know more about it 
2. Non-hormonal Symptomatic Treatment: This type of treatment treats the concerned symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, like night sweats and hot flashes, without addressing the root cause. 
3. Lifestyle Modifications: You can effectively manage the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause by modifying your lifestyle. Diet, exercise, and yoga can help a lot to manage the symptoms you are experiencing. Connect with our expert Ayurvedic practitioners and yoga experts to guide you.

Wrapping It Up

Menopause is a huge transition for a woman. Understanding what exactly happens in this transition is hugely beneficial for a woman. Clearly distinguishing perimenopause, premenopause, and menopause can help you figure out what you are actually experiencing.

Remember, you are not alone in this journey. Nirva Health is here to guide you and support you. Many women have found relief from their hot flashes and night sweats through our holistic remedies. They are really happy to have found a solution with no side effects. More and more women are adopting Ayurveda to manage their problems. We can offer a personalised, completely natural, and effective solution to manage your menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms.