The differences between perimenopause, PMS and menopause

Premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause refer to two different biological processes in a woman’s body. Both conditions can cause devastation on your day-to-day routines and unfortunately you may experience both conditions at the same time. Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS as it’s often called, is a condition which causes symptoms such as the bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, and irritability, commonly experience by most women, depending on the woman’s sensitivity that the changing hormone levels during her menstrual cycle.

PMS only affects women still in their childbearing years because symptoms are brought on by the changing hormone levels due to menstruation. While scientists are uncertain of the exact cause of PMS, they do have some clues as to its characteristics and can identify symptoms associated with it. Unfortunately, because scientists are unable to identify an exact cause, they also have trouble developing an examination to diagnose the condition accurately.

Perimenopause is that period of time during a woman’s life when her body is transitioning toward menopause, or the cessation of menses. The period of perimenopause covers the years leading up to menopause, which can last anywhere from two to ten years. According to Steadman’s medical dictionary, menopause is the permanent cessation of menses. The condition is only diagnosed after a woman has missed 12 consecutive menstrual periods. Although this diagnostic criterion is pretty cut and dried it doesn’t help the woman who is in the process of perimenopause and menopause. It’s a natural part of aging that signals the ending of a woman’s reproductive years.

For most women, menopause will begin at the age of 50-55, however the perimenopause symptoms may begin troubling women starting in their late 30′s to early 40′s, when a woman’s hormones are decreasing in strength and number but she continues to have regular menstrual periods. This is a transitional period from normal menstruation to no periods at all and can take up to 10 years. During these transitional years a woman can experience a combination of PMS symptoms and menopausal symptoms all at once. For some women, who have never experienced PMS during their childbearing years, they can all of a sudden be hit with a full set of symptoms they’ve never experienced before.

It is important to make a distinction between your symptoms of PMS and perimenopause because the symptoms are treated differently. While there is no definitive test for diagnosis of PMS, your doctor can test for your hormone levels to determine if you are undergoing the process of perimenopause.

The first step to a diagnosis is for your doctor to review the medical history of your family. Your doctor can find clues in the PMS and menopause experiences of your mother and sister. By determining the ages of menopause and the history of PMS in family members, your doctor can make a fairly accurate prediction of the probability of the onset of your perimenopause and start of menopause.

While perimenopause symptoms usually begin to appear in women in their late 30′s to early 40′s, environmental factors such as exposure to environmental toxins (for example, smoking and birth control use) and stress, may accelerate the age at which you will first begin to experience symptoms of perimenopause. Women who experience menopause before the age of 40 is relatively rare however, perimenopause can begin before the age of 40 because it is a process that can take up to 10 years.

Some degree of depression is common in both diagnoses of premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause. While depression is not caused by menopause, the condition can be aggravated by the hormonal fluctuations brought on by menopause. Depression and PMS can occur together and it’s not uncommon for depression or anxiety to worsen during the week before a woman’s menstrual period.

After reviewing your medical history and family history as well as taking a physical examination, your physician will probably ask you to keep a running historical calendar for two to three months in order to document both physical symptoms and emotional symptoms you may be experiencing during that time frame.

Until you have reach menopause – after 12 months since your last period – you continue to ovulate and still can get pregnant and should practice appropriate birth control. By becoming more familiar with your premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause symptoms, and the time of the month in which they occur, you and your gynecologist can draw up a treatment plan to address the symptoms of pre-menopause, perimenopause, premenstrual syndrome or menopause that is appropriate for your particular symptoms.