HOW A WOMAN’S REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM AGES: THE PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN PREMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE
The period of time between premenopause and menopause usually takes a few years. One sign that you’re about to enter your premenopausal stage is that the regularity of your cycle changes. You might experience bleeding more frequently, less frequently, or in unpredictable patterns. Instead of 28 days between periods, for instance, you may have your period every five weeks or more.
When you enter the premenopausal stage, which is also known as the climacteric stage of a woman’s reproductive cycle, your estrogen level starts to decrease, but your level of follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, starts to rise. When this happens, the elevated levels of FSH will cause the leftover egg follicles to mature, which may result in irregular vaginal bleeding. The symptoms in the second stage—hot flashes, cold sweats, and mood swings, among others—are usually what people think of when they hear the word “menopause.” Once these symptoms disappear, which can take anywhere from six months to a year or more, you have officially entered menopause.
When you read through this chapter, it’s important to realize that every woman experiences premenopause and menopause differently, whether it’s in the severity of symptoms or the period of time that elapses between the cessation of menstruation and the onset of menopause.
When you’re describing your symptoms to your doctor, you should try to be as specific as you can. You should also remember that even though there are many symptoms that are attributed to the premenopausal stage, you may actually have another medical problem that has similar Body Signals.
Regardless of which stage you’re in, the changes you’ll experience during premenopause and menopause will have no bearing on your sexuality.
Also, no matter whether you’re in the menstrual, premenopausal, or menopausal stage, it’s important that you have a yearly gynecological exam. Here are some of the tests you may have during your examination.
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