While most people know about menopause, fewer women are aware of what happens during the five or so years leading up to this life stage – the perimenopause. Technically, menopause is the final menstrual period of a woman’s life, and the average South African woman reaches it at 51 (although it can start anytime from the mid-30s to 50s or later). So, for most women, perimenopause usually starts around the age of 47. “Many doctors and specialists refer to perimenopause as the menopause transition,” says Professor Henry Burger, a specialist endocrinologist. “For most women, it’s the time when menstrual cycles start to become irregular until the time when they have no periods. Some women have no symptoms at all, but most women experience some symptoms during this
