“My periods are still coming, so this can’t be menopause, right?”, is a question I hear often in my clinic. And it reflects one of the most common misconceptions about the menopausal transition: that menopause begins only when periods stop and hence it can be treated only after that.

While Menopause is a point in time-defined as 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, Perimenopause, is a transition. The years leading up to menopause, known as the perimenopause, can be a time of considerable hormonal change. Periods may still occur, but their pattern can change. They may become heavier or lighter, arrive earlier or later, become irregular or occasionally be skipped.