Perimenopause, Menopause and Beyond
Hot flashes? Mood swings? Sleep disruptions? You’re not imagining it—and you don’t have to power through it. Perimenopause care at WHA provides answers and support to help you feel more like yourself again.
Care that changes with you
Perimenopause—the transitional phase before menopause—typically begins in your 40s and can last anywhere from a few months to several years as your ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. About one to two years before menopause, that drop in estrogen becomes more sudden, and this is when many people experience the most intense symptoms.
Estrogen levels can swing from day to day, causing symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, vulvar changes, headaches and shifts in libido—plus many more (there more than 30 commonly associated with perimenopause). The impact on your mood, memory and concentration is real; it’s a direct result of estrogen’s role in brain function, and it’s not in your head.
Until your periods stop completely, you can still get pregnant, so birth control is still important during this time. Once you’ve gone 12 months without a period, you’ve reached menopause. But that doesn’t mean symptoms stop. Estrogen production continues to decline, and you may notice longer-term changes in your skin, metabolism, weight distribution or bone strength.
A note: For a small few, menopause may arrive between the ages of 40 and 45, known as early-onset menopause. When it happens before age 40, it’s known as premature ovarian insufficiency.
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