Why don’t we talk about perimenopause? Women talk a great deal about menopause. Menopause has been the butt of jokes for years. We associate hot flashes and mood swings with menopause, however, little is said about the stage preceding menopause which is perimenopause. Some of the same symptoms that are experienced in menopause can also occur in perimenopause.
Perimenopause is the transition stage before menopause hits. It can last anywhere from two to ten years before menopause takes full effect and the menstrual period ceases. The average duration of perimenopause is six years so it’s obviously an important stage in a woman’s life that really needs to be considered. Since it isn’t talked about much, many women don’t understand the changes that can happen during that time and how to deal with them.
Perimenopause will act differently for every woman but the main issue is that estrogen is beginning to decrease. This can create a number of symptoms in women. Some of them may include a fluctuation in the menstrual cycle (becomes shorter, longer or unpredictable), the flow of the menstrual cycle changes (becomes lighter or heavier), may experience fatigue, unwanted weight gain, a decrease in sex drive, and headaches (ranging from mild to migraines).
I am in the early stages of menopause, as perimenopause has been an issue for me the past nine years. In my family the women have experienced a longer period of perimenopause beginning earlier in life and experiencing menopause in their very early 40’s. So I have been prepared for this.
There are two vitamins that I have taken to help alleviate some of the symptoms that I have been experiencing. One is hot flashes. Vitamin E works great for that. It’s a natural way to combat that uncomfortable symptom. I also take vitamin B-6 which helps with mood swings. My mother swears by these vitamins and so I have started to take them.
I don’t know why we talk about menopause so much or even PMS but rarely hear discussions about perimenopause. It’s a very real and important stage in a woman’s life that can leave her feeling uncertain if she doesn’t really understand what is going on with her body. If you are experiencing some of the symptoms mentioned then you might want to consider that you are going through perimenopause and find some vitamins that will help you naturally fight against those symptoms.
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