As a woman approaches midlife, she may begin to experience changes in her body that she thought would not happen for several years. Her periods may become irregular, and she may feel moody and fatigued. This time is known as perimenopause and the symptoms are much like those associated with menopause, although you actually haven’t entered your menopause years. Does this sound confusing? In this article, we’ll discuss some of the symptoms that you may experience and the treatment that is available to you.

Menopause actually occurs when a woman permanently stops having menstrual periods. Perimenopause is the transitional period of time before menstruation completely stops, and generally starts between one and six years before menopause. Some experts believe that it can actually start up to 10 years before menopause. Women typically experience mood changes, changes in sexual desire, difficulty in concentrating, headaches, night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, joint and muscle aches, extreme sweating, frequent urination and symptoms that are similar to premenstrual syndrome.

Lifestyle counseling is important for all perimenopausal women, because good health habits can reduce the incidence of chronic health problems later in life. A healthy lifestyle should include good nutrition, exercise, and abstaining from smoking and drinking to excess. A healthy diet, low in fat and high in grains, fruits, and vegetables can benefit women going through pre-menopause and menopause because it reduces their risk of hypertension, osteoporosis and weight gain. Adequate calcium intake is especially important to maintain bone density as estrogen levels decline. Women should get calcium from dietary sources, such as low-fat or non-fat dairy products, greens, broccoli, canned sardines and salmon, fortified orange juice and cereal.

Exercise is something else that woman going through perimenopause and menopause should be diligent about. Exercise doesn’t have to be a painful, time consuming drain on your life. Even moderate exercise can help to relieve your symptoms. A study by the American College of Sports Medicine showed that strength training helped reduce hot flashes and headaches by 50 per cent. To get the maximum benefits of exercise, you should use a combination of weight bearing exercise for your bones and cardiopulmonary exercise for your heart. Health professionals recommend that you do some kind of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes, three to four times a week.

If you are having abnormal periods, frequent mood swings and are extremely fatigued, then it may be time to have a heart to heart chat with your doctor. People love to joke about wild hormones and freaky mood swings, but there is simply nothing funny about the physical and emotional discomforts of pre-menopause and menopause. Work with your doctor to determine a course of treatment best suited to you and make the effort to live a healthier life. You’ll find that it will make the transition between perimenopause and menopause far easier to bear.