Perimenopause, also known as the “menopausal transition,” refers to the phase before menopause when hormones begin changing, and women’s ovaries begin to produce their final eggs. How long the transitional stage lasts and the symptoms it triggers vary widely among women.
The median age of onset is 47, with the median age of menopause (the point at which a woman has gone for 12 consecutive months without a period) between 51 and 52. Symptoms include hot flashes, poor sleep, abnormal periods and mood changes, and can last anywhere from a few months to several years.
“There's a really large range of what can happen and be considered normal,” said Jill Liss, MD, associate clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Here, Liss and Nanette Santoro, MD, professor and E. Stewart Taylor Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, answer some of the most common questions about this phase in a woman’s reproductive life, from whether a woman can get pregnant to when menstrual bleeding can signal the need for medical attention.