What are symptoms of perimenopause?

Unlike menopause, the symptoms of perimenopause are not always clear cut. The changes may be so slight that one may not even notice them. Some of the symptoms of perimenopause include:

Irregular menstrual cycles. As one approaches menopause, the menstrual cycles become irregular and erratic. The intervals between periods may become longer or shorter and the flow rate may also be scant or there may be no period. As menopause sets in one may start to miss periods regularly.

The next set of symptoms which occur in about 70% of women are hot flashes. Facial flushing and sensation of feeling warm occur periodically. Associated with the hot flashes are difficulty in sleeping, chills and drenching sweating episodes. Sleeping difficulties are one of the most common complaints in women in the perimenopausal period.

Mood changes are also common in the perimenopausal period. Some women may feel down or depressed for no reason. These mood disorders during menopause are not strictly associated with fluctuating hormone levels but to other factors which remain unknown. The depression does tend to be mild but can be easily triggered by any number of factors.

Other common symptoms of perimenopause include vaginal dryness or loss of lubrication in the genitals. Thus, sexual intercourse is very uncomfortable or painful. Most women will not be able to conceive during perimenopause because the menstrual cycles have started to become irregular. In any case, if you do not want to get pregnant, use birth control until you have complete absence of periods for at least 6-12 months. Fortunately for most women perimenopause does not depress libido but in fact creates more desire for sex. This is a common observation in many women. Some unlucky women may start to complain of bone pain due to excessive bone thinning. In general, osteoporosis does not become evident much later after menopause has set in.

One does not always need to see a doctor when perimenopause sets in. If the symptoms of perimenopause are mild and tolerated, simple changes in life style and homes remedies will suffice. However, if the symptoms like depression are severe, then it is important to seek medical help.

Is menopause and perimenopause the same thing?

Perimenopause is the transition period or the interval before one truly becomes menopausal. The perimenopausal time period is a natural shift of the hormonal cycle to irregular cycles and finally towards permanent infertility – the loss of eggs. The timing of perimenopause is variable and starts at different ages. For most women it starts in the 40s but in some cases, it may even start in the late 30s.

A woman may notice that her periods are becoming irregular and may vary in length of days from longer to shorter; and the actual menstrual cycle may also vary. This may go one for several months and eventually lead to permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle.

Associated with the perimenopausal period is the start of some symptoms like hot flashes, difficulty sleeping and vagina dryness. In most cases, the perimenopausal period lasts about 9-12 months. Once a woman has gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, she has then medically reached the stage of menopause.

Breast Cancer Risk After Menopause Heightened With Weight Gain

For anti aging during menopause, you've got to do a few things to fight the risk of getting breast cancer. Women tend to gain weight during menopause which increases their risk of breast cancer. Menopause includes the symptoms of sleep disturbances, hot flashes, dry skin and mood changes all contribute to a lowered quality of life for many women. Weight gain during menopause is also an issue for most women and also a major problem because the risk factor for breast cancer increases because of this.

The cause of menopause weight gain is directly related hormone imbalances and the loss of hormones. This weight gain occurs first in the waist and abdominal area. Women in menopause also appear to generally reduce the amount of exercise they get and this contributes to the problem. Compounding this, muscle mass declines as you age and is replaced by fat. We all know that muscle burns more calories than fat. Losing muscle mass contributes to the weight gain of fat. This is not a healthy place to be.

Because of the loss of hormones during menopause, the body tries to create estrogen in the fat around your waistline. This can lead to estrogen dominance which increases the risk for breast cancer

What Is the solution?

For fight the diseases of aging such a breast cancer, it is necessary to change your lifestyle. This begins with a diet and exercise program. Eating right and exercising during menopause is more important than ever at this time in your life.

The best anti aging tip for you is to lose weight, eat right to reduce your breast cancer risk. Also add exercise into your daily routine. An anti aging diet and exercise program are your best bets. Remember also to supplement your diet with nutritional supplements that you may not get with your daily intake of food. Visit your doctor and have him or her test your hormone levels and get them corrected with bioidentical hormones. Do not use the synthetic hormones because they actually increase breast cancer risk. All good advice for aging well and living healthy.