What is the difference between “early menopause” and “perimenopause”?
Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause, when your hormones fluctuate and you notice symptoms. Premature menopause is technically defined as menopause that occurs before the age of 40. You stop ovulating and your periods stop completely years before the “normal” age of menopause. When you’re going through early menopause, you’ll notice symptoms that are the same as those for women in perimenopause — hot flashes, changes in your period, night sweats, mood swings and the like. But you’ll notice these symptoms at a much younger age — in your 20s, early 30s, even late teens. Your estrogen levels drop; your FSH levels rise in an effort to jumpstart your ovarian function — but you stop ovulating and, ultimately, your periods stop altogether decades earlier than usual.
