Recognizing Pre Menopause Symptoms: What You Need to Know

Menopause is a fact of life for every woman. It is as inevitable as her first period, as the course of menstruation itself. All the same, it is a time of great upheavals. They are certainly physical but they are emotional and mental as well. Even though it is a natural event, it can be extremely painful in a number of ways. That being said, there are many pre menopause symptoms for which to keep an eye out. Doing so can help you prepare for this momentous event in your life. In turn, that can help you to embrace it rather than dread it.

Pre menopausal, or perimenopausal symptoms can start in the late thirties. On average, however, women start to experience them around the age of forty. The first  clue that you might be entering this stage is the erratic behavior of your period. It may start coming early, coming late, lasting too few days, too many, et cetera, or any combination thereof. If your periods have always come on a pretty regular schedule, this is particularly telling. However, if this starts to happen, see your doctor – there are chances it could point to something else and all the same, your doctor should be aware that you may be entering perimenopause.

Often, as your periods start to become more irregular, then you will start to experience other symptoms as well. Your flow may become significantly lighter or heavier, as mentioned. It is rare that you will abruptly stop having periods altogether, but it has been known to happen. All the same, it is not considered a typical sign and, again, if this happens you should contact your doctor.

Your pre menstrual symptoms may begin to change as well. What that basically means is that, every woman experiences different feelings as she ovulates. Because the irregularity of your periods during perimenopause is caused by the fact that you start to skip the entire process, naturally your symptoms will change as well.

Basically, your body begins producing less and less estrogen. Because of the lack, your body is not told to release certain other hormones, such as FSH and LH. This is ultimate what makes menstruation and ovulation stop completely. There is not enough estrogen to trigger the release of LH, which is what causes ovulation.

Not all of the symptoms of perimenopause are related to your period, however. Some of the potential signs are quite innocuous, and you may not even realize what is happening unless your menstruation is somehow affected. For example, women going through pre menopause tend to get more headaches than they normally would. If you think back to the period of time leading up to your first menstrual cycle, you may remember that you had more frequent headaches then as well. Insomnia and tiredness are common signs as well. This might seem contradictory, but it is really quite understandable. Because of the upheavals your body is going through, it is quite expected to feel extremely tired, yet not able to sleep. Feeling sore and full of aches is not uncommon either. You will be more irritable, you may experiences hot flashes, or simply find that you are never comfortable, temperature wise. Mood swings are a normal occurrence, as is a total lack of sex drive. You will often gain weight, particularly around the abdomen and hips. Your breasts will seem tender, and you tend to retain a lot of water.