Perimenopause 101

Most people have heard of menopause, but far fewer are familiar with the term perimenopause.

Many of the symptoms associated with menopause actually first present and take center stage during the time before menopause, which is is defined as going 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. Perimenopause typically precedes actual menopause by a minimum of several years.

​And it’s much more than hot flashes. If you’re wondering if what you’re feeling may be indicative of perimenopause, see what symptoms are most common, especially after ruling out any other medical condition, such as an autoimmune disease, thyroid disorder or vitamin deficiency.

This list of resources is continually updated.

2017: Management of Perimenopause – Southern Medical Association, Oct. 11, 2018 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_scCqMcxijg

Executive Summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop: Addressing the Unfinished Agenda of Staging Reproductive Aging, Various Contributors, April 2012 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3340903/

Menopause – Mount Sinai - https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/report/menopause

Menopause Diagnosis and Treatment, Mayo Clinic, Oct. 14, 2020 - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353401

Menopause Symptoms, Mayo Clinic, Oct. 14, 2020 - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397

Menopause Symptoms Start Long Before Women Stop Getting Their Periods, Study Shows – Forbes, Deb Gordon, July 29, 2021 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/debgordon/2021/07/29/menopause-symptoms-start-long-before-women-stop-getting-their-periods-new-study-shows/

Perimenopause: Hormone Ups and Downs Can Last Years – Amy Burkholder, CNN, Jan. 10, 2007 – http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/10/peri.menopause/

Study Finds Potential Early Sign of Perimenopause –Health Europa, Feb. 14, 2022 – https://www.healtheuropa.eu/study-finds-potential-early-sign-of-perimenopause/113505/

The Brain Fog of Menopause – Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, Dec. 17, 2018 - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/well/live/the-brain-fog-of-menopause.html

The Truth about the Link between Alzheimer’s and Menopause – Newson Health Menopause & Wellbeing Centre, Jan. 30, 2020 - https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/news/the-truth-about-the-link-between-alzheimers-and-the-menopause
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Understanding Perimenopause – Sharon Begley - http://www.sharonlbegley.com/understanding-perimenopause

We Need to Know How Menopause Changes Women’s Brains – Kim Tingley, The New York Times, July 21, 2021 - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/magazine/menopause-brains.html

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