What's Perimenopause?

Here's a health tip from Yahoo.com.

Perimenopause is the term used to describe the time just before your body begins menopause and your menstrual cycle ends. This is the time when your ovaries begin to run out of ova (eggs), and hormones begin to fluctuate due to oncoming menopause.

Here is a description of what happens during perimenopause, courtesy of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada:

o Estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate during perimenopause, but begin to regulate near the end of this transitional period. Hormone decreases begin to occur more frequently and for longer periods of time.

o Lower levels of hormone production eventually becomes permanent.

o The menstrual cycle stops, and menopause begins.