Could you be in perimenopause?
Posted on Jun 02, 2009 under Menopause, Night sweats | No CommentTina Richardson was 38 years old when she first started to experience severe hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. Now 43, she says, she has hot flashes daily and every night she wakes drenched in perspiration. One day she can feel on top of the world, and the next she cries for no apparent reason.
“You just feel out of control of your own body and your own thoughts and emotions.”
She
is not alone. Many women can experience premenopause symptoms as early
as 10 to 15 years before their period completely stops.Women in
their late 30s, 40s and early 50s may transition in and out of a
perimenopausal state many times before they finally enter menopause.If
you are currently experiencing symptoms such as irregular periods,
heavy bleeding, hot flashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dry eyes,
vaginal changes, hair loss, weight gain, loss of libido or extreme
emotional distress, you may be in a state of premenopause.When
Richardson saw her family doctor with her concerns, he prescribed an
antidepressant. Many younger women struggling with hormonal imbalance
are frequently sent home with a prescription for antidepressants
because neither the woman nor her doctor recognize premenopause for
what it really is.