9 perimenopause symptoms women are told to ignore — and what to actually do about them

Perimenopause is the hormonal transition that precedes menopause — the period during which estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels begin their decline. It ends when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, at which point she has reached menopause.

What most women don't know: perimenopause can begin as early as the mid-thirties, and the average duration is 4–8 years. Most women spend nearly a decade in perimenopause before reaching menopause in their early fifties.