Excerpted from an interview
with Kathy Petras

Sue:
How can a woman differentiate between early menopause and perimenopause?

Kathy:
That's an excellent question! It can get very confusing....so here's an attempt at making some sense of it.

Perimenopause:
To put it briefly, perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause, when your hormones fluctuate and you notice symptoms. And this often begins happening when a woman reaches her late 30s, as her body begins the transition to menopause, which occurs, on average, at about age 51.

Premature menopause,
on the other hand, is technically defined as menopause that occurs before the age of 40. You stop ovulating and your periods stop completely years before the "normal" age of menopause. When you're going through early menopause, you'll notice symptoms that are the same as those for women in perimenopause -- hot flashes, changes in your period, night sweats, mood swings and the like. But you'll notice these symptoms at a much younger age -- in your 20s, early 30s, even late teens. Your estrogen levels drop; your FSH levels rise in an effort to jumpstart your ovarian function -- but you stop ovulating and, ultimately, your periods stop altogether decades earlier than usual.

See the rest of this interview

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• What is perimenopause?
• What is menopause?
• What is early menopause?
• When does PM happen?

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What is perimenopause?

The Premature Menopause Book:
When the 'Change of Life' Comes Too Early
by Kathryn Petras, Michelle Warren

see the interview with Kathryn Petras
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Petras, who has faced the problem of early menopause, lists hundreds of resources, Web sites, and support groups, and shares the advice of women going through the experience. It provides the latest information on health and emotional issues, explores all of your options, lists resources, websites and support groups, shares the experiences and advice of women going through this experience, answers frequently asked questions and offers the support and understanding you need.

The Power of Perimenopause:
A Woman's Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During Perimenopause
by Stephanie Degraff Bender, Treacy Colbert

While much as been written about menopause, little attention has been paid to the experiences women undergo during the transitional period BEFORE menopause. Now, for the millions of women in their late thirties and forties, this comprehensive book focuses on easing the normal, but sometimes distressing, physiological and psychological symptoms of the stage preceding menopause.