The 10 Symptoms of Perimenopause You Need to Know

When women start to experience the symptoms of perimenopause, it can be difficult for them not to worry. Menopause is a natural phase in every woman's life and usually starts around age 40, but there are some early warning signs that you may want to know about. This article will explore 10 of the most common symptoms of perimenopause so that you can better understand what you should expect when this phase begins.

1. Irregular Periods

One month you may have a period and the next it could be three months later before you see any spots at all. You may even skip whole months without one or bleed for as many as seven days instead of the usual five. In addition, some women report that their flow was heavy and then tapered off to barely anything. This too can last anywhere from three to nine years after your final menstrual cycle ends.

2. Tiredness

Symptoms of perimenopause can also include extreme tiredness. This is one of the most common symptoms that women tend to describe, as this stage in life typically brings on a new routine with additional responsibilities and challenges. You need to understand why you are so exhausted all the time, but it isn’t always easy to determine what might be causing your lack of energy. Some things could even seem unrelated at first glance.

3. Heavy Bleeding

There can be many reasons why women have their period more often than normal during early menopause (including stress), what should be considered abnormal by medical professionals is when someone experiences long intervals without menstruating for three months or more. At this point, they might be suffering from menorrhagia or anemia due to excessive bleeding during their perimenopausal years.

4. Changes To Breasts

One of the more notable physical changes for women is a change to their breasts. You may notice that your breasts become tender or sore, and you might even experience some tingling sensations in them as well. Additionally, they could look different with on-the-spot swelling occurring before menstruation starts. Your breast size can also decrease slightly during menopause due to a reduction of estrogen levels within the body. While this isn't an issue for most people, those who feel self-conscious about smaller bosoms should be aware that it's common as you approach perimenopause and come out the other side around 50 years old when menopause officially begins.

5. Mood Swings

One of the most difficult things about perimenopause is that it can be quite emotionally draining. The change in hormones causes an imbalance, which often plays a role in mood swings, depression, and anxiety during this transitional time before menopause begins. So while you may feel fine one day but then completely stressed out over something relatively unimportant the next, don’t ignore these emotions because they are just as real to your body as physical pain or hunger pangs would be for other people. If you notice yourself feeling more anxious than usual at home or work or if you experience feelings of sadness when nothing has changed externally since your last period began, chances are high that what you're experiencing might not be a passing phase and that these feelings might be caused by perimenopause.

6. Memory Loss

Another side effect of perimenopause that can have a significant impact on your life is memory loss. You might find yourself struggling to remember simple things like where you left the car keys or what day it is today, and this may come as quite an inconvenience if you want to keep up with other people in conversations without feeling completely embarrassed. But while some doctors believe this could be due to low estrogen levels, others point out that these symptoms are too similar to those experienced by women who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, which makes it difficult for them to conclude how many women will experience forgetfulness during their transition into menopause.

7. Bladder Changes

Those who suffer from urinary incontinence or bladder weakness may notice these issues worsening during menopause due to the lack of estrogen, which helps keep the urethra and pelvic muscles tight. When you lose estrogen, these parts can become weak and deteriorate over time until they do not work properly anymore. This is why women in their 50s are more likely than younger people to experience problems such as leakage after sneezing or coughing, nighttime urination (or bedwetting), and frequent urges to go when they might not be able to get there in time even though nothing has happened yet. So while it's normal for everyone at all ages to occasionally leak a few drops of urine if we cough or laugh too hard, during perimenopause and menopause women may experience these problems more often.

8. Hair Loss

Hair loss isn't a common symptom of perimenopause, but if you do notice your hair thinning or becoming weaker and less dense than it used to be when estrogen levels in the body are lower than they should be, don’t ignore these symptoms. The same goes for other changes such as dry skin that can develop due to reduced moisture retention in the body, mood swings, weight gain, fatigue or low energy levels no matter how much sleep you get each night, and irregular menstrual periods with bleeding occurring more often than every 28 days.

9. Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are perhaps the most well-known of all perimenopausal symptoms, and they can be triggered by a wide range of things such as stress, fever, illness or infection, spicy food eaten right before the physical activity takes place, changes to your environment that have an impact on temperature regulation inside your body like extreme heat or cold outside temperatures combined with high humidity levels while you're indoors where it's warm but not too hot. When experiencing a hot flash for some women sweating occurs throughout their entire bodies even though many doctors believe this is just happening because blood flow becomes redirected from other parts towards more central areas so that we don't feel overheated anymore. In addition to this unpleasant side effect, hot flashes can also result in dizziness and sometimes even fainting which is why some women who suffer from these symptoms often try to avoid going out alone at all.

10. Weight Gain

Symptoms of perimenopause include weight gain. When you feel your clothes are getting tighter, this is a sign that estrogen levels have changed and the body’s metabolism has slowed down. To avoid gaining more pounds, plan to exercise regularly, eat healthy foods with less sugar or carbohydrate content, cut back on caffeine intake if you drink coffee daily, and reduce alcohol consumption as well.

If you’re experiencing any of the 10 symptoms listed, call us today. The sooner we treat your perimenopause symptoms, the less debilitating they will be for you and your loved ones. Our team is standing by to help.