What is perimenopause?

There are many ways ladies categorize stages in their life. One of the most common ways? Life during menstruation and life after aka menopause.

But there is another lesser known stage in a woman’s life: perimenopause.

According to Dr. Raul Quillamor, resident OB GYN of Pinoy MD, perimenopause is a period of a woman’s life wherein she’s approaching menopause. “It usually ranges five years before menopause and one year after,” he says. For most women, it starts at roughly at 40 years old.

He clarifies: menopause is when a women’s been free of menstruation for one year already.

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Women who still have their menstruation often have their FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) in the range of 3.4 to 10 mIU/ml.

Women who are menopausal have theirs 30 MIU/ml and above.

Women whose FSH are in between these two are possibly in their perimenopausal stage.

During perimenopause, a woman might experience dizziness, morning sickness, irritability, and lowered libido. The culprit? Decreasing levels of estrogen.

Women who are in perimenopause are still possibly ovulating, Dr. Quillamor says, so getting pregnant is very much possible.

To lessen the effects of perimenopause, women can get on a low-dose contraceptive pill, which replenishes the estrogen level of the body.

Getting enough calcium and drinking milk is recommended too, as bones get brittle when the estrogen level decreases.

And finally, avoid smoking to delay menopause. Watch the video below and learn more about this period of a woman's life:

— LA, GMA News