So often I wish that I could somehow step through Time and explain the progression of perimenopause to my own mother, but women didn’t talk about the “Change’ then, and I was far too young to recognise what she was going through.

I don’t think she knew what was happening either. Poor Mum, she deserved better. As did every woman.

What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is sometimes called premenopause, and that makes more sense (at least to me).

It’s the phase before menopause actually takes place, when the ovarian hormone production is slowing down, declining and fluctuating. This is part of the natural progression your body makes as your eggs are dwindling, your hormones are slowing down their cyclical dance as your body moves from being fertile to infertile.

Menstrual periods and ovulations are skipped and some women experience menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and flashes, night sweats and sleep changes.

* It’s a good idea at this time to have a thorough physical check-up and, apart from the Pap smear and mammogram, have a bone density scan.

Symptoms

When estrogen levels begin to drop, the follicular phase of the cycle can be shortened, and this, in turn, can shorten the total cycle from 28–30 days to 24–26 days, resulting in more frequent periods.

Then again, some women begin having longer cycles because they aren’t ovulating as frequently as they did before. What your friend, or your sister, experiences isn’t necessarily what you experience.

The unpleasant news is that your declining estrogen level can produce a host of unpleasant symptoms: hot flashes vaginal dryness, sexual problems, sleep problems, breast tenderness, stomach bloat, headaches and all manner of distressing and disturbing complications.

How long will this last?

Perimenopause can last anywhere from five to twenty years, and while the brain continues to send out hormones trying to stimulate the development of ovarian follicles, the ovaries will continue to respond erratically.

This makes the hormones fluctuate, sometimes wildly, from month to month and produces the symptoms of perimenopause.

* Consult your doctor to make sure your symptoms aren’t caused by something other than natural processes.

Natural menopause

Natural Menopause is the transition between perimenopause and postmenopause. It occurs when the monthly cycle of ovulation, of the release of an egg mid-cycle each month, comes to an end.

This is because the ovarian supply of follicles and eggs declines sharply as we get older.

Eventually, the ovaries can no longer develop an egg for ovulation. Let’s face it, the eggs are too old for reproduction now.

Estrogen goes into a permanent decline, and along with it, progesterone production. The lining of the uterus thins because it isn’t being stimulated by high estrogen levels each month and so the monthly bleeding stops.

Menopause has occurred. It’s all over. (Break out the champagne!)

Your Post-Menopausal Figure

But don’t forget the postmenopausal ovary!

It continues to produce hormones even after ovulation ends and it makes some estrogen and also some male hormones, (androgens) in particular testosterone. Some of these androgens are changed into estrogen (estrone) in your fatty tissue.

So that thickening waist and the padding over the kidneys are depositories of your ‘female-ness’, indeed you can say it’s a mark of your womanliness to have a plump middle section.

Look at yourself. See those new curves? You are beautifully womanly

* No matter what you have ever done before, now is the time to establish the best eating and exercise habits to carry you through. It’s the time to lay the foundation for a healthy old age.

It’s never too late to start a wellness regime.