Perimenopause (Climacteric)

The perimenopause (climacteric) is the normal physiological process of declining reproductive function at the end of a woman's reproductive years. Menopause is defined as the cessation of menstruation for one year. The beginning of perimenopause ranges from between ages of 35 and 45, and ending with menopause between the ages of 37 and 56. The perimenopause can last from 3 to 10 years. Women experiencing perimenopause will find the help of a HRHP and careful charting of their menstrual cycle events invaluable for negotiating the sometimes rough waters of physiological fluctuations associated with this life phase. Understanding her changing body and having the support of a HRHP to achieve that understanding helps a woman make better informed choices with respect to medications and medical treatments.

 Menstrual cycle changes associated with perimenopause are normal deviances from healthy menstrual cycle patterns and are noticed by any of the following:

• ovulation may occur earlier in the cycle
• ovulation may occur later in the cycle
• the postovulatory phase shortens to less than 10 days
• the postovulatory phase may vary in length from cycle to cycle
• dry days following menstruation before the onset of mucus may be absent
• cervical mucus may be observed on the light and very light days of menses
• cervical mucus becomes less abundant and less Peak-Type
• there may appear lengthy patterns of Peak-Type cervical mucus
• there may appear a variable return of Peak-type mucus patterns
• cycles length become irregular in length
• cycle are more often anovulatory (no ovulation)
• premenstrual symptoms may become more intense
• BBT Shifts and curves may be more erratic
• there may be episodes of unusual bleeding
• cycles may remain regular and suddenly stop
• cycles may vary widely from short to long for a period of time before stopping
• cycles may shorten initially then progressively lengthen before stopping

The perimenopausal woman who charts her menstrual cycles to monitor changes in her cycle will be in a better position to manage her symptoms and to avoid or achieve pregnancy. Becoming pregnancy is more challenging in the perimenopausal years because a woman’s body is physiologically directed towards becoming infertile. This does not mean that a woman cannot become pregnant but she will have fewer cycles that are viable for achieving pregnancy. A perimenopausal woman who has had a previous full-term pregnancy has a greater chance of becoming pregnant than a woman who has never had a full-term pregnancy. Being pregnant actually enhances fertility over the long term.

Regardless of the perimenopausal woman’s intentions for using the Justisse Method, all charting considerations and observation routines are applicable. In addition the HRHP can supply a woman with a special Justisse Method chart for keeping track of symptoms particularly associated with the perimenopause.

 Special Note: It is this author’s clinical experience to have witnessed women who are perimenopausal or just menopausal notice a return of fertility, once they begin a program of health restoration using changes in diet, lifestyle, and the use of nutritional supplements and/or bioidentical hormones. If a woman wishes to become pregnant then this would be happy news, and she would use the Justisse Method as intended to achieve pregnancy. If she wishes to avoid pregnancy she will want to use the Justisse Method as intended to avoid pregnancy.