BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) – For many women, symptoms like poor sleep, weight gain, brain fog, or hot flashes seem to show up out of nowhere. Stress often gets the blame, but doctors say another common cause is frequently overlooked: perimenopause.
Perimenopause is the stage of life leading up to menopause, and according to Baton Rouge physician Dr. Tatiana Saavedra, it can begin much earlier than many women expect.
“Menopause is officially defined as going 12 months without a menstrual period, and the average age for that is about 52,” Saavedra said. “But the transition leading up to it, perimenopause, can start in a woman’s mid-30s or 40s and last for several years.”
What’s happening in the body?
During perimenopause, hormone levels, especially estrogen and progesterone, begin to fluctuate. Those changes can affect everything from sleep and metabolism to mood and memory…