Perimenopause: The phase before menopause; Know symptoms, complications, and cure

by Shatakshi Gupta

Menstrual cycles are a very vital function of a women’s body. These monthly cycles come to an end at the age between 45 and 50. At this stage, every woman stops having periods, and the stage is called menopause. Menopause, however, does not happen immediately rather it takes place eventually. The transition phase before menopause is known as perimenopause. This stage has its own symptoms and problems which need to be addressed. So, let’s understand about this intermediate phase in women’s lives.

Firstly, What is Perimenopause?

 Perimenopause can also be called the menopause transition. This stage comes when a woman’s body heads towards the end of menstruation. Perimenopause can be a different experience for every woman as there is no general set of symptoms. The symptoms faced by each woman depending on the woman’s body and her lifestyle.

What are the symptoms of Perimenopause?

Symptoms of this perimenopause start in most women after the age of 40. In some cases, these symptoms can be seen even after the mid-30s. Although symptoms vary from woman to woman, some common symptoms faced by women are.

  • Irregular cycles.
  • Fluctuating levels of a sex hormone called estrogen.
  • Eggs are not released from the ovaries even when the cycle starts.
  •  A sudden feeling of heat in the body or hot flashes.
  • Vaginal dryness.
  • Decreased fertility.
  • Accidental urine leakage.
  • Falling sexual drive.
  • Weakening of bones.
  • Increase in the amount of bad cholesterol in the body.

Serious complications:

Also read: What are the 4 common reproductive health issues in women?

Most women face the aforementioned symptoms, but few women undergo severe complications during this phase. Some of these severe complications are:

  • Heavy blood loss leads to changing of pads every 1-2 hours during periods and bleeding lasts more than 7 days.
  • Menstruation started every 18-21 days.
  • Bleeding can happen between two menstrual cycles.

If one is facing the above symptoms, that is an indicator of bad reproductive health. If you are experiencing these symptoms,  you must consult a doctor immediately.

Tips to calm Perimenopause:

As Perimenopause is a natural process and it is inevitable. The symptoms become complicated when the body is not healthy. So, to make this phase lesser complicated it is crucial to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips to assuage the complications.

  • Exercise daily to keep yourself physically and mentally healthy.
  • A healthy diet is very important in this phase. Include all the nutrients in your diet and eat a diet rich in proteins and healthy fats
  • A disciplined body clock plays a key role in keeping the body healthy. Create a bedtime routine. Get up and sleep at the same time every day. Stay away from digital gadgets before sleeping.
  • Stress impacts the body in a very adverse manner. Keep stress away to avoid mood swings. To salvage the stress, you can resort to meditation.
  • You should always check the obesity and keep your weight under control.
  • Alcohol and smoking make reproductive health poor. So, to avoid any complications you must keep these things at bay.