Each woman’s experience of the menopausal transition is unique. Some women struggle with primarily physical symptoms, while others have mainly psychological symptoms. Some women may have most of the symptoms outlined below, while other women may have just a few of them. The intensity and longevity of symptoms are also highly variable.

The most common symptoms that women report are hot flashes and night sweats: 75% of all women will have these symptoms at some point, as they move from their reproductive years to perimenopause and then to postmenopause.

One of the hallmarks of perimenopause is changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle, in terms of its length, the amount of flow, and the bleeding patterns. However, even women with regular cycles can still be in perimenopause.

Hormone testing is not a reliable method of determining whether or not a woman has entered perimenopause, as hormones fluctuate dramatically.