What Happens During Perimenopause

Women tend to menstruate after they reach puberty. This is a sign of fertility and women undergo menstruation every month, till they become pregnant. Once the pregnancy phase is complete, the menstruation cycle continues.

However, women tend to have a limited supply of egg cells and soon run out of eggs thus, achieving menopause, i.e., end of the menstruation cycle. But before entering menopause, a woman goes through perimenopause. Perimenopause is a phase in which many biological changes begin to occur in a woman's body.

Perimenopause is that stage of menopause which takes place when the ovarian hormone level declines in the body and leads to many symptoms indicating onset of menopause. Perimenopause can last for 3 to 5 years before menopause. It generally occurs between the age of 35 to 45 years and symptoms of perimenopause are often ignored by women as well as their physicians.

Let us now have a look at the happenings during perimenopause. The ovaries contain follicles that are composed of over 2 million egg cells when a baby girl is born. By the time she reaches puberty, there are only 300,000 egg cells left. Of these, only about 500 cells mature and are released during a menstruation cycle.

However, by the time a woman reaches her mid-thirties, her ovary production begins to decrease. This gives rise to a number of perimenopause symptoms like changes in menstrual cycle, etc.

During perimenopause, as the egg supply decreases, the menstruation cycle becomes irregular. The periods last for a shorter duration and the bleeding may decrease.

Other symptoms of perimenopause will also be experienced by a woman. These include hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings and anxiety. Women tend to suffer from depression too as they feel it is the end of their fertility and youth.

Some women tend to gain weight as they are inclined to eat more due to depression. Soon, the menstrual periods are skipped and they occur close together.

Hormones play a very important role in a woman's body. Every process related to fertility and production is related to hormones. This is why one wonders what happens to hormones during perimenopause.

The estrogen and progesterone are two important hormones that regulate menstruation. The estrogen levels begin to drop significantly. This causes irregular and inconsistent periods. A woman may have normal periods for a few months, then suffer from scanty or irregular periods for several months at a stretch, before returning to her normal period cycle.

Drop in progesterone causes changes in the amount of bleeding. When the progesterone level is too high, it leads to heavy menstruation bleeding and when the level is low, it causes light bleeding.

There are many perimenopause symptoms that help a woman understand the changes occurring in her body.

Let us have a look at the symptoms that will help you understand what occurs during perimenopause.

• Menstrual cycle changes
• Headache
• Hot flashes
• Tender breasts
• Unexplained weight gain
• Anger

• Depression
• Dizziness
• Stress
• Extreme fatigue
• Mood swings
• Urinary incontinence
• Decrease in fertility
• Increase in vaginal and urinary tract infections
• Loss of bone
• Increase in estrogen levels

These symptoms indicate that a woman has entered perimenopause and is soon moving towards menopause. Then, one will stop getting periods for 6 to 12 months at a stretch. When a woman misses menstrual periods continuously for a year, it indicates that she has reached menopause. Many women never experience any of the symptoms and enter menopause without any issues. During this time, one should eat a healthy diet rich in iron, calcium and other vitamins as well as minerals.

Speak to your doctor regarding the treatment that will help you get through this phase smoothly. This will help you to overcome the symptoms and prevent other health related issues like osteoporosis. Hope this information has helped you understand all the biological changes occurring during perimenopause.