The Basics of Peri-menopause

| Posted: 16-11-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 340 | Rating: (55)

(?)

Menopause signals the end of a woman's childbearing days. It is marked by the end of a woman's monthly period. This is primarily because of the ovaries' inability to produce eggs. Contrary to popular notion, women do not have a wellspring of eggs. Their ova also run out. Menopause is also caused by the decrease in the secretion of the female sex hormones, progesterone and estrogen.

Like all natural processes, menopause does not just occur without any warning signs. In fact, the body prepares for it, knowing instinctively that a woman cannot cope with the changes abruptly. The preparation of the body is a very gradual process that can take years. This is what the scientific and medical community calls Perimenopause.

Peri-menopause or what is called premenopause is the period in a woman's life when her body is starting to ready itself towards menopause. This often occurs during the mid-40s; although some may experience some signs and symptoms in their mid-30s.

Perimenopause is not just a short period of time, In fact, it can last for as long as two to eight years depending on the person. Some clinicians even say that it can last for as long as 15 years!

Up until now, there is still no explanation why some women have longer periods of pre-menopause than others. Because there is no specific year span when it occurs, women and even their doctors often overlook the symptoms of premenopause and its effects in the body.

Unlike during menopause where levels of progesterone and estrogen go on a nosedive, hormonal levels during premenopause are erratic. Levels rise and fall. Because of these changes, women may experience disruptions in their monthly menstrual cycles. Menstruation may suddenly extend for a few days or shorten to just a couple of days.

Shortened cycles are the result of the drop in estrogen levels, leading to the shortening of the follicular phase. Cycles can shorten to 24-26 days. This means that there will more frequent monthly cycles than before. On the other side, women may also experience infrequent monthly flow because of the lengthening of the menstrual cycle.

Women in premenopause may also find it hard to conceive although it is not impossible. This is because there are menstrual cycles when women do not ovulate.

Like in menopause, declining levels of the female hormones may result in the experiences of a host of symptoms that are often seen during menopause; symptoms like hot flashes, where women will experience abrupt changes in their body temperatures; incontinence; vaginal dryness because of the decrease in lubrication and elasticity; breast tenderness; mood swings and see-saw of emotions; sleeping problems and other potential complications such as bone loss and osteoporosis.

Symptoms of course vary from one person to another. Some may experience all of them while others may not feel a thing. In fact, some women's menstrual cycles will just stop without ever experiencing any symptoms at all. This is the reason why premenopause is so hard to detect.

Because of the appearance of these symptoms, many believe that when detected, women undergoing premanopause must begin hormonal therapy in order to balance or combat these problems.

Declining levels of hormones may become such a problem that some doctors may even recommend surgical interventions such as hysterectomy, a procedure wherein the uterus is removed. This however only happens to a very small percentage of women. If your doctor recommends this, try to get a second opinion, as this is not a small thing. Other doctors may provide you with alternatives to it.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Diet, Health, Menopause, Hormones, Women, Woman, Osteoporosis, Hot Flashes, Peri-menopause, Nurtition

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-basics-of-perimenopause-73543.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Dr Nathalie Fiset is a family doctor and a certified hypnotherapist. For more information go to: http://www.bestmenopause.com/peri-menopause.html www.aperfectharmony.com or www.a-1hypnosis.com

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

The Recommended Diet for Menopause
By: Nathalie Fiset | 14/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great experience if a woman follows the proper eating recommendations.

Dealing With and Treating Menopause
By: Nathalie Fiset | 14/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great experience if a woman follows the proper recommendations.

Menopause: What Every Woman Needs to Know
By: Nathalie Fiset | 13/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great experience if a woman knows what to expect.

Coping Up With Depression During Menopause
By: Nathalie Fiset | 13/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great experience if a woman knows what to expect.

Correlating Menopause and Osteoporosis
By: Nathalie Fiset | 14/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great experience if a woman knows how to prevent osteoporosis.

Symptoms of Early Menopause
By: Nathalie Fiset | 13/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great time in a woman's life.

Learning How to Deal With Menopause
By: Nathalie Fiset | 13/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great time in a woman's life.

The Truth On Menopause and Weight Gain
By: Nathalie Fiset | 14/11/2006 | Health
Menopause can be a great time in a woman's life if she is well informed.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the easiest way to make chicken soup?
By: luvfood3 | 16-11-2007
what's the easiest way to make chicken soup?

What is chrone's disease and how do you know if you have it?
By: PracticalThinker | 15-11-2007
what is chrone's disease and how do you know if you have it?

is women's orgasm similar mans mid pump or ...
By: abdolla14 | 14-11-2007
is women's orgasmsimilar mans mid pump or pant ?

How i cure from fibromialgia desease?
By: dovidall | 14-11-2007
how i cure from fibromialgia desease?

What country has the most overweight/obese people (relative to its size)?
By: JenniferL | 14-11-2007
what country has the most overweight/obese people (relative to its size)?

Do you think someone with depression who has children will likely pass that trait onto her children?
By: DrJames | 14-11-2007
do you think someone with depression who has children will likely pass that trait onto her children?

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Health Articles

The Dreaded Back Pain
By: Mandy Chagger | 06/09/2008
The most dreaded back pain is lower back pain, which could be a symptom of various complications in the abdomen area.

Stress - Types, Causes and Cures (part Three)
By: Andrew Tomkinson | 06/09/2008
This article is part one of my article series 'Stress - types, causes and cures'. It is written in order to introduce you to the types and causes of stress and suggest possible cures.

What are Toxins and How Do I Get Rid of Them?
By: James Carden | 06/09/2008
Toxins are an integral part of our everyday lives. Pollution, pesticides, cigarettes, bad water and harmful cleaning products are only a few of the different sources of toxins that can cause our bodies to malfunction and that we come in contact with on a daily basis.

Sun Damage Prevention
By: John Russell | 06/09/2008
In our continuing efforts to maintain youthful skin, we cannot neglect what may be the one true beauty secret. Effective protection from the sun can prevent damage to the skin. Even without actual sunburn, exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun can cause wrinkles, age spots, skin cancer, and other generally weathering effects.

What Makes Smoke Inhalation Dangerous
By: Rachel Yoshida | 06/09/2008
Most would agree that it is not natural, but what really happens when smoke is inhaled?

Dealing With Menstrual Flooding
By: Rachel Yoshida | 06/09/2008
It is not a popular subject,but there are many that needs this information if you are having trouble in this area.

Treatments And Medications for ADHD
By: Paul Hata | 06/09/2008
There are mainly two types of treatment which is generally used to cure the ADHD types of treatment for ADHD; pharmacological and non-pharmacological. It is been found out in various studies that 70% to 80% children are benefited by the stimulant drugs.

How to Prevent Stomach Ache and Abdominal Pain
By: Robert Sifer | 05/09/2008
For stomachache in children, parents should notice habits and symptoms of their children. For adults, they also should notice themselves which food that they consume always cause stomach pain to them and try not to eat those food.

More from Nathalie Fiset

Earth Day: the Anniversary of the Forgotten One
By: Nathalie Fiset | 21/04/2007 | Environment
Saving the environment is everyone's business

Remedy Insomnia the Natural Way
By: Nathalie Fiset | 18/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

Music Lulling you to Sleep
By: Nathalie Fiset | 18/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

Menopause and Insomnia
By: Nathalie Fiset | 17/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

Taking Medication to Sleep
By: Nathalie Fiset | 17/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

Dealing With Insomnia During Pregnancy
By: Nathalie Fiset | 17/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

Eating for Slumber: Food to Help you Sleep Better
By: Nathalie Fiset | 17/04/2007 | Health
Insomnia can be overcome with the proper help

What is the Cause of Water Pollution?
By: Nathalie Fiset | 15/04/2007 | Environment
Saving the earth satrts with little steps

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Follow ArticlesBase at http://twitter.com

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.55, 16)

The Basics of Peri-menopause

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Health Articles

More from Nathalie Fiset

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter