What Do You Know About Perimenopause?


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woman in cubicle experiencing a hot flash

Today we thought we’d ask readers of all ages: “What do you know about perimenopause?”

According to The New York Times‘ recent article “Why is Perimenopause Such a Mystery,” many people have heard of menopause, defined as the year after your last period (followed by postmenopause), but not perimenopause, which can start as early as your mid-30s and include a ton of symptoms. (The average age of menopause is 51.)

An excerpt from the NYT story:

There are four symptoms of perimenopause that are most common: hot flashes, sleep disruption, depression and vaginal dryness, known as “the core four” among menopause experts. But the full panoply of symptoms related to the perimenopause transition “is not yet known with any great degree of certainty,” said Dr. Nanette Santoro, the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. At this point, the perimenopausal period is associated with as many as 34 different maladies ranging from hair loss to “burning mouth syndrome,” which is a tingling or numb feeling in your lips, gums and tongue.

In other words, as one friend said: Welcome to the fun stage of life where pretty much any ache or pain you experience, if Googled alongside the word “perimenopause,” will take you to an article about how it’s a symptom.

{related: how to investigate when you’re exhausted and have no energy}

(Side note: There’s a really interesting anecdote at the beginning of the NYT article about a woman who “tries to be vocal about her ‘peri-brain’” at the office,” which we’d love readers’ thoughts on…)

Perimenopause and menopause have made lots of headlines in 2021, which is a welcome change! Like menstruation, it’s a topic that’s not exactly discussed openly in the U.S. (Don’t you love how pads and tampons are still referred to as “sanitary products” or “feminine items”? Plus, 30 states still charge “the tampon tax.”) A few recent articles include “We Need to Know How Menopause Changes Women’s Brains” (NYT), “The $10 Billion Business of Perimenopause” (Fast Company), and “‘My Bosses Were Happy to Destroy Me — The Women Forced Out of Work by Menopause” (The Guardian). We’ve been sharing a few in our weekly news posts, so stay tuned for more.

{related: the best alternative products for your period (particularly great if you’re getting irregular periods… a perimenopause symptom)}

Two new books about menopause got some attention this year, too: What Fresh Hell Is This: Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You by Heather Corinna, and The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism by Dr. Jen Gunter [affiliate links]. (Btw, Dr. Gunter is great to follow on Twitter!) I have both books in my Kindle app and will hopefully get to them before I enter perimenopause… Actually, if there’s interest from readers, I’ll prioritize reading them and share my reviews!

Here are some questions to kick off a discussion today:

Have you asked your OB/GYN about perimenopause? At my last exam, I asked a bunch of questions, hurriedly typing the answers into my Notes app once I got back in the car. One thing my doctor pointed out is that there’s no “perimenopause test” that can confirm you’ve started that stage.

Have older female friends or relatives ever talked to you about perimenopause/menopause? Did your mom share any of her experiences with you, for example?

For readers close to perimenopause age: What resources have you found helpful so far? The Facebook group Perimenopause Hell has 26,000 members; The North American Menopause Society offers “Menopause 101: A primer for the perimenopausal“; and there are also helpful menopause apps out there like Caria and others.

{related: We’ve covered a few products for hot flashes in the past, including Hot Girl Pearls, Soma’s Cool Nights pajamas, and the chiliPAD}

Stock vector (woman in cubicle experiencing a hot flash) via Deposit Photos / cteconsulting.



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