Perimenopause Symptoms Checklist

Cycles creep closer, then skip, then surprise you. Sleep frays. A short fuse shows up. Migraines change. Some months feel premenstrual for two weeks. Hot flashes can start before the last period by years.

One normal FSH on a good week does not erase six bad months. Levels swing. The calendar and the symptoms carry more weight than a single afternoon lab.

Thyroid disease and low iron impersonate this phase. So does a new antidepressant, a new job that destroyed your sleep, and a pregnancy you have not tested for. Fertility is not zero because cycles got weird. Contraception still matters if a pregnancy would be a problem.

Bring two months of bleeding dates if you can. Flow and timing change the recommendation more than a list of adjectives.

I am in my late thirties. Can this be perimenopause?

It can, and it should not be the only idea. Thyroid, prolactin, and pregnancy belong in the same visit.

Do I have to wait until periods stop to be treated?

No. Perimenopause is a reason to be seen. The bleeding pattern changes what is safe to do.