Unfortunately for the vast majority of women going through menopause, there is not a lot that can be done to manage the symptoms. Up until recently, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was the preferred method of treatment for menopause but this all changed when HRT was found to cause an increase in certain types of cancers, strokes, and blood clots. In 2002 the US government actually halted an HRT study being conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Once this study was stopped, HRT use plunged, women no longer felt save taking the treatment and figured suffering with their symptoms was less of a risk.

HRT is still in use, but only for short term use during natural menopause. It may be prescribed longer in the case of young women with surgical menopause. Not a lot of treatment options have been found to be both safe and effective and more time and money needs to be spent testing the new medications that have stepped in to fill the void left by HRT.

Perimenopause is simply the period of time that you are experiencing menopausal symptoms but your periods have not stopped. The symptoms you experience during this time are for the most part, the same as the symptoms you will experience during menopause once you periods have stopped completely. But, one of the first perimenopause symptoms is irregular periods. You may notice that your period comes after only 24 days rather than the normal 28, or it might take 32 days the next month. Another way that your period can be irregular is in the amount of flow you have. You might experience a particularly light period one month, a very heavy one the next and then a normal one the third. If you are in your mid forties or older and you start to experience irregular periods like this then you might want to visit your doctor because it is possible that you are starting perimenopause.