It can be hard to know when a woman is in perimenopause, which is the transitional phase leading up to menopause.

In the past irregular periods were thought to be one of the first indicators of fluctuating hormones.

But vasomotor symptoms – like hot flashes and night sweats – are also reliable indicators, especially for women who already have inconsistent menstrual cycles.

Guest/s

• Professor Susan Davis, director of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program and head of the Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne 

References

• Prevalence and severity of symptoms across the menopause transition: cross-sectional findings from the Australian Women's Midlife Years (AMY) Study