Menopause is finally getting some of the attention it deserves in the media, but how much do we know about perimenopause, the transitional period before menopause? For many, the answer is not much. In a National Institutes of Health (NIH) survey with more than 3,000 women between the ages of 40 and 65, half were unaware of the term.1 Test your own knowledge about perimenopause and maybe learn more by seeing if you know which of the following statements are true and which are false.

1. True or false: For most women, perimenopause begins in their 50s.

Answer: False

Perimenopause can begin when we are in our mid-30s and early 40s. Although actual menopause starts when your menstrual period ends and there is no further menstruation for 12 consecutive months, perimenopausal symptoms, such as the slowing down of the body’s production of estrogen and progesterone, can begin while we are still actively menstruating.2

​​​​2. True or false: It takes about one year for most women to go through perimenopause.

Answer: False

The NIH reports the average is closer to four years. The symptoms can continue during menopause and up to 10 years after menopause. Because this can be such an extended........

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