Many perimenopausal women sometimes experience hot flashes - sudden waves of intense body heat that last 5 minutes or so. They can occur at any time of day or night, making it difficult to sleep. Typically they start in the face or neck, and can get so bad that they leave some women dripping with sweat!

The exact cause of why this happens is not exactly known. But hot flashes are thought to be related to hormonal changes in the brain’s thermoregulatory centre, which is the part of the brain that controls heat production and loss.

Dealing with the symptoms of perimenopause can leave you tired and irritable. Hot flushes, night sweats, and increased anxiety about the changes you’re going through are enough to send your moods haywire.

The hormonal changes in your body can also play a part in influencing your mood, particularly if you are dealing with life stress, are in poor health, or have a history of depression.

Falling oestrogen levels can cause vaginal tissue to become thinner and drier, particularly in late perimenopause. Vaginal dryness can cause irritation, itching, and painful sex.

It’s important to know that if you are experiencing vaginal dryness, there’s no need to suffer in silence. A range of treatments are available including the Mona Lisa Touch that can ease your symptoms and have you feeling like yourself again!

As ovulation becomes more unpredictable, you may experience irregular bleeding. Not only do your periods become less reliable, the heaviness of your flow can change too. This is because there’s less progesterone to regulate the growth of the endometrium, so it becomes thicker and therefore heavier when it’s shed.

You might even skip your period every few months. The less your periods still hang around, the closer you are to menopause.

Throughout perimenopause, your hormone levels rise and fall in unpredictable ways. They can change on a daily or monthly basis and affect not just your energy levels, but also your mental clarity too.

Usually the hormones oestrogen and progesterone maintain a certain ratio in your body. When one decreases it alters this ratio and can leave you feeling tired during the day. Exercising, maintaining a good sleep routine, and meditating can help combat fatigue.

Some women find the scales are creeping up despite maintaining the same diet as they always have. But while weight gain is commonly associated with menopause, it’s not necessarily directly caused by it.

A range of factors associated with ageing can cause your body to hold more weight around your abdomen, hips and thighs. For instance, muscle mass typically diminishes with age, which slows the body’s metabolism and fat burning capability.

As your body ages and also gets used to new hormone levels, your weight may fluctuate and you will need to revamp your diet and exercise program to maintain a healthy weight.

Due to the consistently low levels of oestrogen and progesterone present during menopause, this time of life can lead to thinning hair that breaks more often. So you might see some signs of hair thinning during perimenopause.

Conversely, sometimes you might see some very thin, fuzzy facial hair sprouting up too, particularly on the chin.

The reason why perimenopausal and menopausal women experience hair loss isn’t fully understood, but studies have linked it to changing androgen (testosterone) levels. Reductions in testosterone progresses through perimenopause and menopause have been found to impact androgens and their ability to influence hair follicle health.