In Australia the average age of menopause is 51. Menopause is considered to generally occur between 45-55 years old. Menopause is the moment in time when you have not had a period for 12 months – after this you are considered post-menopausal.

Symptoms during the perimenopause period are produced by fluctuating hormone levels.

During perimenopause your ovaries continue to cycle but less efficiently or regularly. Your

cycle can become a bit more unpredictable in length and periods can become heavier or

lighter than usual. You may occasionally skip a period. Symptoms arise mainly due to

fluctuating or low oestrogen.

During perimenopause, many of the symptoms we attribute to menopause start to arise.

Although people discuss “hot flushes” in my experience this is not the symptom that is most

bothersome to my patients. There is a non-exhaustive list of symptoms associated with

peri/menopause which can be divided into a number of areas:

Physical Symptoms

- Hot flushes and night sweats

- Fatigue

- insomnia

- Aching joints

- Dry skin/eyes/vagina/mouth

- Irregular/heavy period

- Headache

- Thinning hair/brittle nails

Psychological/Mental Health Changes

- Irritability

- Anxiety/panic

- Depression

- Brain fog

- Difficulty concentrating

- Memory lapses

- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

- Difficulty multitasking

Metabolic Changes

- Weight gain (especially in the middle!)

- Increasing insulin resistance

- Loss of muscle mass/strength

- Increasing cholesterol

Come in and talk to us at East Coast Menopause Solutions about how we can help you

navigate this transition and improve both your symptoms and general health.