Women can experience perimenopause anywhere from their late twenties into their fifties. Perimenopause usually arrives four years before a woman enters menopause. Since the average age of menopause in the United States is 51, the average age for perimenopause is 47. This is certainty not to say women younger than 47 couldn't be perimenopausal, because they most certainty could be. These are just averages.

According to Dr. Judith Reichman's book, I'm Too Young To get Old, many variables can affect when we will become perimenopausal. Smokers go through perimenopause about 1.8 years earlier than non-smokers. Women whose mothers had an early menopause are more likely to also experience an early menopause.

Dr. Larrian Gillespie in her book, The Menopause Diet, does a tremendous job in talking about this and offering a tremendous amount of help in losing weight (and preventing weight gain):

She says:
This is a good time to begin an exercise program if you haven't already and if you are already exercising this is the time to increase how often and for how long you exercise. We have to also decrease our caloric intake by about 200-400 calories a day in order to avoid weight gain.
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Meet the author
Stephanie DeGraff Bender, MA
Author of "Power of Perimenopause"
She has been in the forefront of women's hormonal health for the last 20 years. Her work in unearthing the seemingly mysteries of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) has led to her current expertise in perimenopause. The Power of Perimenopause has sold thousands of copies and is a well respected women's health guide. Her appearances on Oprah, CBS Morning News, Donahue have left no doubt that she is a women's advocate in the best sense of the word.