“Periomenopause” is a physical transitioning period that has not received the attention it deserves from the medical community. Instead, menopause gets all the attention, and thus, that’s all women tend to think of in terms of bodily changes.
But periomenopause (pre-menopause) can begin as early as the mid-thirties, and produce an array of symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as something completely different.
Periomenopause can have a huge assortment of symptoms, some going unnoticed, such as differing intervals in between periods, and some being blaringly loud, such as hair shedding, loss of libido and food cravings.
But one of the more well-noted symptoms of periomenopause, sometimes also called perimenopause, is that of feelings of intense anxiety and stress, in the absence of any environmental stimuli that could justifiably cause such overwhelming sensations. This level of anxiety can drive a woman nuts, and if it begins occurring in her mid to late 30s, the last thing she’s going to attribute it to is anything related to menopause. Periomenopause can begin 3 to 15 years prior to the onset of menopause.
In fact, even a woman in her early 40s is not likely to think in terms of transitioning into menopause as an explanation for oddball symptoms such as night sweats, periods that are now flowing longer than usual, or shorter than usual, or lighter than usual, or heavier than usual, or clumpy periods. Changes in menstruation may go entirely unnoticed. But the other symptoms are hard to ignore, such as the hair shedding and bouts of depression.
A doctor might diagnose the woman as simply being stressed out from raising teenagers or career changes, which usually happen at this time of her life anyway. So now she thinks she’s just being a neurotic, while instead, her body is undergoing a totally natural change. Menopause does not happen overnight. It takes years for the transition to take place.
Menopause is officially in place when a woman has not menstruated for 12 months straight. But a periomenopausal symptom can also be a skipped period. Then she gets her period for many months after that, then another missed period. Maybe two missed periods in a row. In fact, as official menopause (the 12-month, period-free stage) nears, a woman may find that she is missing periods with increasing frequency.
Another classic symptom is unpredictable intervals in between periods. Where you used to have them every 26-27 days, you now get them anywhere between 24 days and 31 days. The normal interval span is 21 to 35, with the lower and upper numbers on the fringe. The intervals during periomenopause may be like an accordion; one month the interval is 22 days, next month, 33 days, next month, 25 days, next month, 34 days, next month, 28 days, and so on.
So if you’re at least in your mid thirties and are experiencing some unusual symptoms (also: breast tenderness in one or both breasts; fatigue; insomnia; aching joints; and incontinence, among other symptoms), ask your doctor about periomenopause. Two more symptoms may be gastrointestinal problems and bloating. But beware; these last two symptoms are also symptoms of ovarian cancer (though very rare in pre-menopausal women), but can also be caused by gulping air when you drink fluids. So always ask your doctor (gynecologist) to check thoroughly your ovaries.
