It’s more than likely that you’ll have heard of menopause, but what about perimenopause?
Like puberty, menopause is a natural transition in your cycle that’s marked by hormone changes and officially starts 12 months after your last period. However, your period doesn’t just stop overnight. The transition into menopause can last years. This is known as perimenopause.
The average age to experience menopause is between 45 and 55. However, perimenopause can begin anytime between your 30s and 50s. During this time, you’ll continue to have a period, but your ovaries start to produce less estrogen, meaning your cycle may become irregular.
Any change to your menstrual cycle can be unsettling. So, from hot flashes to irregular periods, a menopause specialist talks to Flo about what to expect when you experience perimenopause. While everyone who has a period will go through perimenopause, that doesn’t mean that you have to go through difficult symptoms without medical support.