More Menopause?! "What is perimenopause?" asks an HSI member named Morgan. "Please don't tell me I have ANOTHER kind of menopause to worry about!" Morgan posted her question in an HSI Forum thread titled "Hot Flashes," and received this response from a member named Mike: "Perimenopause is the transitional stage before menopause. It's also known as pre-menopause. It can hit between 35-50 and last 2 to 10 years, and I guess those figures aren't written in stone. I would guess, like PMS, some women are more affected by it than others, and the symptoms vary. If your menstrual periods have stopped, you're past peri and into the real thing." Mike knows what he's talking about. A woman's hormone levels begin to decline several years before menopause begins. These changes sometimes prompt depression and anxiety, as well as physical symptoms such as missed periods. All too often doctors address these symptoms without recognizing and treating their true cause. HSI Panelist Ann Louise Gittleman fully explores this complex health issue in her book "Before the Change." A nutrition specialist and best-selling author, Ms. Gittleman offers diet and exercise techniques to help control perimenopause symptoms without using powerful drugs or synthetic hormones. And when the symptoms of perimenopause are treated naturally, women are often much better equipped to cope with the worst symptoms of menopause long before they begin. You can find out more information about "Before the Change" here: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/610SBTC/W610D914/home.cfm If you're a woman heading into those pre-menopausal years, this book could be your indispensable health guide through the coming decade. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
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