Women might complain about having monthly menstrual cycle but those same women most likely actively fear the idea of going through perimenopause. The simple fact is that perimenopause is a very hard time for women to go through. It is often compared to having a second puberty only this time the woman is acutely aware of her changes and how those perimenopause symptoms affect the people in her life. It is important for everyone to understand the different symptoms of perimenopause so that they can help the women in their lives as they go through this transition. If one of the women in your life (yourself, your wife, your daughter, your sister, your mother, your friend) is close to the age where perimenopause usually starts here are some symptoms that you should look for.
Just about the easiest symptom to identify is the mood swing. In this respect, perimenopause looks quite a lot like puberty and, most ironically, like the early months of pregnancy. A woman who is going through this is going to have a lot of sudden and hard to explain mood swings. In one minute she can be completely calm. The next moment she will be crying her eyes out over something that never used to bother her and probably won’t bother her in a few minutes. If one of the women in your life has started having these kinds of mood swings and isn’t pubescent or pregnant it is possible that she might be menopausal. Tread lightly!
For a woman over 40 symptoms of pregnancy might also be symptoms of perimenopause. One of these mirrored symptoms is extreme fatigue. The feeling of not being able to get enough rest during perimenopause is often designated as “crashing” fatigue. I am talking about feeling extremely exhausted at the end of the day. Working a full time job might become unbearable or impossible during the fatigue stage of perimenopause. It could become so strong that she cannot get through her day without taking several naps. If you witness a woman in your life experiencing severe fatigue symptoms, talk to her about seeing her OB/GYN to determine if menopause is the cause.
The most patently obvious symptom is the deregulation of a monthly period. If you suddenly stop having your period or if it changes in frequency, duration or “strength” you could be going through ‘the change’. Remember, it is not always the absence of a monthly period that signals premenopause. Believe it or not, some women report getting heavier periods right before they entered perimenopause. All changes in your period should be reported to your doctor, especially if you are getting close to “perimenopause age”. There are many different symptoms of perimenopause. No two women experience the exact same symptoms in the exact same ways. Some women don’t experience bad symptoms. Other women have incredibly intense and hard to deal with symptoms. Being able to understand the symptoms of perimenopause can do a lot for both you (if you are dealing with it) and the other people who are in your life (who will be helping you deal with it). This article lists just a few of the perimenopause symptoms you might have to deal with. A conversation with your doctor will help you identify the other things you should be looking for.