Perimenopause…what it is exactly? According to the definition on women’s health sites, perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when you begin to notice menopause-related symptoms and changes. It is also the year after menopause. Menopause is reached once you have not had a period for twelve months. During this time of perimenopause the ovaries start to shut down and don’t make as much estrogen and progesterone as before.
The typical woman will go through perimenopause between 45 and 55, although some women can start in the 30’s. The variety and severity of symptoms are different for each woman. Some experience nothing but the stoppage of their period and others suffer a great deal with the symptoms during perimenopause. Some of the most common symptoms include: changes in the pattern of the period becoming less or more frequent or lighter or heavier; night sweats, hot flashes, problems sleeping, hair loss or thinning, vaginal dryness, mood changes and problems focusing.
If you will be seeing your doctor with these kinds of symptoms it is a good idea to keep a written record of your periods, duration, symptoms, etc. to share with your doctor. There are also tests that can be done to see if you are actually perimenopausal or not, including blood tests and salivary tests. Your doctor should know about these tests, but if not don’t be afraid to ask about them.
Some of the possible treatments during perimenopause that help most women include using either birth control pills or hormone therapy. If you are over 35, smoke or have a history of blood clots you should not take birth control pills. There are natural hormone creams that can be used as an alternative to the synthetic hormones. You also will need to be eating a healthy diet, exercise and find ways to relieve your stress. Those three things seem to be the treatment for many things, so they must be the most important part of living a healthy life. Perimenopause does not have to be a horrible experience if you are able to communicate to your doctor what your body is doing and try out a few different things to see what works best for you. It won’t last forever!
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Hormone therapy is an effective menopausal relief and you can even purchase them online for your convenience but you should ask your doctor for recommendation. Natual creams are better because they are topical and can be absorbed by the skin and it's a healthy and better alternative but it should be backed with a healthy diet and exercise.