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[mandypepe]

I know this must have been explained many times but I've searched and searched on here but can't find it. What is the actual difference between the two please? Do they both have symptoms etc? What decides one or the other for an individual to be experiencing?

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Mandypepe
Isn't it crazy that nobody teaches us about this phase in our lives - we would all do much better if we were given better information.
The perimenopause stage is when our hormone levels start to fluctuate and drop; we miss the occasional ovulation which will often lead to missed or erratic periods - flushes and night sweats may come and go as the hormones fluctuate. This phase can start in our 40s or even earlier and go on for some years.
Post meno is simply after the periods have stopped completely.  If you are under 54 then you usually have to go 1-2 years before you are deemed post meno.
If you experience meno symptoms like flushes in the peri stage then it is sometimes a good idea to start some low dose HRT to help regulate things as your natural cycle slowly shuts down.
The severity of symptoms will vary from women to women - some find the peri stage worse with all the fluctuation, whilst others find the worst symptoms hit a year or two after their periods stop and the hormone levels have bottomed out.
Do tell us more about yourself and what you are experiencing?  DG x

[mandypepe]

Thanks for your reply. I agree we aren't taught this although I've always been aware it happens to us!! I joined yesterday and posted on the introduction bit so won't bore you again! I'm unsure yet as to what's happening with me but the more I read on this forum the more I feel it's linked to hormones rather some kind of terminal disease I have convinced myself I have got!

[Dorothy]

You are not alone - Thinking you have a terminal disease seems to be one of the most common symptoms - either that or you think you are going mad!

Maybe we should run a survey to find out if there are ANY MM members who didn't think they were either dying or going round the bend before they found out it was menopause!!!

[Dana]

Just touching on the comments about us never being taught about menopause, I was just thinking about how we were all given information about puberty and getting our periods, whether that was from our mothers or from school, but somehow menopause is still totally taboo and no one wants us to know anything about it.

Until I started experiencing the "wonders" of menopause, I had always thought that you just got some hot flushes for a while (which of course everyone who doesn't get them jokes about), but I had no idea just how debilitating or numerous the symptoms can be.

If it was just a case of some hot flushes I would happily accept that, but I had no idea what was wrong with me when insomnia struck from out of the blue, meaning I couldn't sleep at all for days on end. I wasn't getting hot flushes then, so it took months, and some blood test results, to finally realise it was the Big M.