ByPuja Gupta
July 8, 2020 (IANSlife) Most women know the signs of menopause which happens around the age of 50. But there is another phenomenon called perimenopause which many are unaware of and tend to ignore.
Perimenopause - The term means “around menopause”, is a time when your hormones undergo changes in preparation of menopause, points out Dr Asha Baxi, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospital.
Here, the level of estrogen (the female hormone) falls and women may also begin to have cycles where they do not ovulate (release an egg). Most women begin their perimenopause period at some point after their mid-40s. Many could also skip this stage entirely and directly experience menopause. But there are also cases when perimenopause could hit you as early as in your mid-30s, she adds.
The symptoms of perimenopause can be subtle, they come on gradually and many women fail either to notice it or just tolerate the changes. This phenomenon is generally ignored by most people. But it is very important that whenever you experience changes in your menstrual cycle that interfere with your day to day life and well-being that you go see a doctor as these symptoms may indicate perimenopause, Dr Baxi says. If experienced at an early age like in your 30s, perimenopause will cause problems in conceiving and can cause infertility.
The expert shares some features of perimenopause:
When should you see a doctor?
She replies: “Irregular periods are quite common due to multiple reasons and most often than not women tend to generally ignore them. However, it is important to pay attention if this becomes a regular occurrence and schedule an appointment when one experiences the below symptoms:
Diagnosis and Treatment
Doctors take many things into consideration before determining whether a woman has entered perimenopause or not. There are a number of factors like age, menstrual history, the symptoms shown etc. There is no one test or process to determine this, Dr Baxi says.
She adds perimenopausal complications can be treated with drug therapies like:
Art procedures like IVF/ ICSI may be needed for women wanting to become pregnant.
It is very important to consult a gynaecologist to plan the course of medication. It is very easy to ignore mild symptoms like irregular periods or mood swings but remember these may all indicate underlying perimenopause. Detecting perimenopause and offering treatment in time provide a window of opportunity for long term benefits in conditions like protection against cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis. Talk to your doctor about the options available, check for risks and benefits and then make an informed decision.
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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in