Symptoms of Perimenopause

Symptoms of Perimenopause

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Perimenopause includes the 18 symptoms listed below:

• Symptoms of perimenopause are similar to symptoms of menopause
• Hot flushes - sudden warmth and then sweating; affecting about 75% of women.
  • Sudden facial warmth
  • Facial flushing
  • Facial tingling
  • Flush spreads to neck and/or body
  • Cold sweat - usually after the flush subsides
• Menstrual changes
  • Irregular periods
  • Amenorrhea
  • Missed periods
  • Irregular periods
  • Spotting
  • Abnormal menstrual bleeding
  • Heavier periods
  • Lighter periods
  • Change in premenstrual symptoms
• See also symptoms of menopause for more symptoms
• more information...»

Research symptoms & diagnosis of Perimenopause:

• Overview -- Perimenopause
• Diagnostic Tests for Perimenopause
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Doctors & Specialists
• Misdiagnosis and Alternative Diagnoses
• Hidden Causes of Perimenopause
• Other Causes -- causes of these or similar symptoms

Research More About Perimenopause

Do I have Perimenopause?

• Perimenopause: Introduction
• Perimenopause: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Perimenopause
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Perimenopause
• More about Perimenopause

Perimenopause: Medical Mistakes

• Women's Health Mistakes:
  • Womens Health -- Health Mistakes
  • Contraception -- Health Mistakes
  • Fertility -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

Perimenopause: Undiagnosed Conditions

Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:

• Chronic Major Diseases that are commonly Undiagnosed:
  • High Cholesterol -- Undiagnosed
  • Heart Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Cancer -- Undiagnosed
  • Depression -- Undiagnosed
  • Type 2 Diabetes -- Undiagnosed
  • Type 1 Diabetes -- Undiagnosed
  • Hypertension -- Undiagnosed
  • Hemochromatosis -- Undiagnosed
  • Metabolic Syndrome -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Perimenopause:

• Osteoporosis & Bone Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Osteoporosis Tests
  • Home Bone Loss Tests
• Menopause: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Menopause Tests
  • Home FSH Hormone Tests
  • Home Osteoporosis Testing
• Vaginal Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Vaginal Infection Tests
  • Home Vaginal PH Tests
  • Home Yeast Infection Tests
  • Home Candida Kits
  • Home Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Test Kits
  • Home Bladder Test Kits
• Sexuality & Libido: Home Testing:
  • Home Hormone Tests
  • Home Libido Tests
  • Home Menopause Testing
  • Home Andropause Tests
• Breast Cancer: Related Home Tests:
  • Home Breast Cancer Test Kits
  • Home Breast Lump Detection
• more home tests...»

Wrongly Diagnosed with Perimenopause?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Perimenopause includes:

• Menopause
• more diagnoses...»

See the full list of 1 alternative diagnoses for Perimenopause

Perimenopause: Research Doctors & Specialists

• Pregnancy & Fertility Health Specialists:
  • Maternal & Fetal Medicine
  • Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
  • Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
• Womens Health Specialists:
  • Gynecological Oncology
• Senior Health Specialists (Geriatrics):
  • Geriatric Medicine (Senior Health Specialist)
  • Geriatric Psychiatry (Senior Mental Health)
• more specialists...»

Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

More about symptoms of Perimenopause:

More information about symptoms of Perimenopause and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Perimenopause

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Abnormal menstrual bleeding - see all causes of Menstrual irregularities
• Amenorrhea - see all causes of Amenorrhea
• Change in premenstrual symptoms - see all causes of Menstrual irregularities
• Cold sweat - see all causes of Cold sweat
• Facial flushing - see all causes of Flushing
• Facial tingling - see all causes of Tingling face
• Flush spreads to neck and/or body - see all causes of Flushing
• Heavier periods - see all causes of Heavy periods
• Hot flushes - see all causes of Hot flushes
• Irregular periods - see all causes of Menstrual irregularities
• Irregular periods - see all causes of Menstrual irregularities
• Lighter periods - see all causes of Light periods
• Menstrual changes - see all causes of Menstrual changes
• Missed periods - see all causes of Amenorrhea
• Spotting - see all causes of Spotting
• Sudden facial warmth - see all causes of Flushing

Medical Books Online about Perimenopause

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Perimenopause are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Perimenopause.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Patient Surveys for Perimenopause

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• Survey about the symptoms of your Perimenopause
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Symptoms of Perimenopause: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Perimenopause.

Menopause: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Many menopausal women are asymptomatic but some have severe symptoms. The decline in ovarian function and consequent decreased estrogen level produce menstrual irregularities: a decrease in the amount and duration of menstrual flow, spotting, and episodes of amenorrhea and polymenorrhea (possibly with hypermenorrhea). Irregularities may last a few months or persist for several years before menstruation ceases permanently.

The following body system changes may occur (usually after the permanent cessation of menstruation):

❑ Reproductive system: Menopause may cause shrinkage of vulval structures and loss of subcutaneous fat, possibly leading to atrophic vulvitis; atrophy of vaginal mucosa and flattening of vaginal rugae, possibly causing bleeding after coitus or douching; vaginal itching and discharge from bacterial invasion; and loss of capillaries in the atrophying vaginal wall, causing the pink, rugal lining to become smooth and white. Menopause may also produce excessive vaginal dryness and dyspareunia due to decreased lubrication from the vaginal walls and decreased secretion from Bartholin’s glands; smaller ovaries and oviducts; and progressive pelvic relaxation as the supporting structures lose their tone due to the absence of estrogen.

ELDER TIP As a woman ages, atrophy causes the vagina to shorten and the mucous lining to become thin, dry, less elastic, and pale as a result of decreased vascularity. In addition, the pH of vaginal secretions increases, making the vaginal environment more alkaline. The type of flora also changes, increasing the older woman’s chance of vaginal infections.

❑ Urinary system: Atrophic cystitis due to the effects of decreased estrogen levels on bladder mucosa and related structures may cause pyuria, dysuria, and urinary frequency, urgency, and incontinence. Urethral carbuncles from loss of urethral tone and mucosal thinning may cause dysuria, meatal tenderness, and hematuria.

❑ Mammary system: Breast size decreases.

❑ Integumentary system: The patient may experience loss of skin elasticity and turgor due to estrogen deprivation, loss of pubic and axillary hair and, occasionally, slight alopecia.

❑ Autonomic nervous system: The patient may exhibit hot flashes and night sweats (in 60% of women), vertigo, syncope, tachycardia, dyspnea, tinnitus, emotional disturbances (irritability, nervousness, crying spells, fits of anger), and exacerbation of pre-existing depression, anxiety, and compulsive, manic, or schizoid behavior.

Menopause may also induce atherosclerosis, and a decrease in estrogen level contributes to osteoporosis.

Ovarian activity in younger women is believed to provide a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, and the loss of this function at menopause may partly explain the increased death rate from myocardial infarction in older women. Also, estrogen has been found to increase levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Perimenopause
• How serious is Perimenopause?
• More about Perimenopause
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Perimenopause:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Perimenopause. This signs and symptoms information for Perimenopause has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Perimenopause signs or Perimenopause symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Perimenopause may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Perimenopause symptoms.