Perimenopausia y menopausia
Perimenopause
Revisado: 4 de octubre de 2026
Solo en inglés por ahoraPerimenopause is the time leading up to your last period, when hormone levels change and periods become less predictable. It often starts in your 40s and lasts a few years.
What perimenopause is
Perimenopause, also called the menopausal transition, is the time leading up to your last period. Your ovaries make less of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, so your periods change and in the end stop. Menopause is when your periods stop for good. It is confirmed once you have gone 12 months without a period. Most people reach menopause somewhere between their mid-40s and mid-50s, but it can happen earlier.
When it starts and how long it lasts
Perimenopause usually starts in your mid- to late 40s. On average it lasts about 4 years before periods stop, but it can be anywhere from 2 to 8 years. The timing and the symptoms vary a lot from person to person, so your experience may be quite different from a friend's or a relative's.
Changes to your periods
Your periods may come closer together or further apart, and you might skip a month or a few months. Bleeding may be heavier or lighter than before, and periods may last longer or be shorter than usual. Logging your periods and symptoms in Ciclo can help you see the pattern and describe it to a doctor, but its predictions are estimates and less reliable while your cycles are changing.
Other common symptoms
As hormone levels change, many people notice other symptoms too. These include hot flushes and night sweats, trouble sleeping, low mood or anxiety, a lower sex drive, vaginal dryness, and problems with memory or concentration. If symptoms affect your daily life, there are treatments that can help.
You can still get pregnant
Even if your periods are irregular or you skip a few months, you can still get pregnant during perimenopause. If you do not want to get pregnant, keep using contraception until you have had no periods for 2 years if you are under 50, or for 1 year if you are 50 or over. HRT does not prevent pregnancy. Hormonal contraception can hide your natural periods, so a doctor or nurse can tell you which method suits you at this stage of life and when it is safe to stop.
When to see a doctor or nurse
See a doctor or nurse if your symptoms bother you, or if you think you have menopause symptoms before the age of 45. Also get checked if your periods become very heavy, for example if you need a new pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours. Bleeding between periods or after sex should be checked too. So should any bleeding once you have gone a year without a period. Get urgent help if you have very heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. If changes to your periods or symptoms worry you, talk to a doctor or nurse.