What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause refers to the life stage ‘around menopause’ when you first start to experience hormonal changes and irregular menstrual cycles, often resulting in signs like hot flushes, mood swings and sleep-related issues (but more on those later!).
Perimenopause treatment and management
For some people, living with perimenopausal signs can make certain day-to-day activities more difficult. But, with that in mind, it’s important to remember two key things.
Firstly, you’re not alone. Perimenopause is a natural life stage, and there’s plenty of advice and support available whenever you need it from websites like the NHS, Women’s Health Concern, The Menopause Charity, Age UK and the British Menopause Society.
And secondly, there are several treatments and lifestyle changes you can make to help manage your signs if and when they start to appear.
Treatments
If you need help with managing your signs, speak to your doctor for their advice. They’ll be able to help you identify the right type of treatment for your needs, based on the exact signs you’re experiencing.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most commonly recommended treatment for managing perimenopausal signs. This comes in various forms, including tablets, skin patches, gels and sprays, and is used to give your ovaries a bit of a helping hand, by replacing the oestrogen they’re no longer able to produce.
It’s not suitable for everyone, though, so make sure to seek your doctor’s advice if you’re considering it.
For psychological signs like low mood or anxiety, your doctor may also recommend using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), offering you a platform to discuss what you’re going through.
Meanwhile, for more physical signs, like vaginal dryness, you may be prescribed a cream, tablet, pessary, gel, ring, lubricant or moisturiser to help ease your discomfort.
Lifestyle changes
Since your lifestyle choices can have an impact on the perimenopausal signs you experience, why not consider making some changes to help manage them more easily?
Here are a few ideas to get started:
Keep active: exercise regularly and prioritise weight-bearing activities like walking, running and dancing, as well as low-stress exercises like yoga and tai chi
Seek support: don’t be afraid to ask for help from your friends, family, colleagues and doctor whenever you need it
Eat well: follow a healthy diet filled with calcium-rich foods like milk, yoghurt and kale, and avoid going over your recommended alcohol limit
Prioritise sleep: create and stick to a regular sleep routine and try to get plenty of rest
Over-the-counter support
Alongside the various treatments and lifestyle changes mentioned above, there are several over-the-counter products that you can use.
If menopause has led to vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex, vaginal moisturisers and lubricants might help. CanesMeno Hydration and Comfort Gel, for example, is designed to offer fast, long-lasting relief from vaginal atrophy symptoms associated with menopause, such as vaginal dryness, burning and itching.
By speaking to your doctor, making healthy lifestyle choices and finding the right treatment plan, there’s a lot you can do to help make your transition into menopause more manageable.
FAQs
If your signs are mild, making various lifestyle changes or getting advice from your pharmacist on suitable over-the-counter products may help.
However, if these don’t provide the help you are looking for and you’d like some more tailored guidance, speak to your doctor as soon as possible.
Perimenopause is when you are experiencing signs of menopause but your periods have not yet stopped. Perimenopause continues until you haven't had a period for 12 months, at which point you have reached menopause.
However, on average, most women experience perimenopausal signs for approximately four years, with the average age of perimenopause in the UK starting at 47 and menopause at 51.
This timeframe can vary from person to person. For some, it may last longer, while for others, it could be much shorter.
Perimenopause ends when you have gone 12 consecutive months without having a period. At this point, you have reached menopause.
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