Concerned About Your Irregular Periods During Menopause?

Irregular menstrual periods that are shorter or longer,or heavier, with more or less time in between them is normally the first signal our bodies give us that change of life is near.While its considered a symptom of change of life, irregular periods are really a perimenopause symptom that comes about during the years leading up to full menopause. In any case, since abnormal periods can go on for six years or more, it helps to know what to expect and how you can manage your cycle.

How Peri-Menopause Affects the Menstrual Cycle
As you'd expect, the crazy periods that come along with change of life are caused by lower levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. As levels of these hormones decline, your pituitary gland sends out more of the hormone that stimulates the follicles. While your body is active trying to get levels of these hormones to balance out, your menstrual cycle is caught in the crossfire.

Heavier periods?
The thickness of the lining of the uterus is controlled by the hormones Progesterone and Estrogen. As we have already found, production of these hormones changes as we age and this may result in a much thicker than previously experienced lining to the uterus. The result will be a much heavier period than that previously experienced. It is possible for this situation to continue right up to the time when menstruation ceases entirely.

Missing Periods and More Frequent Periods
Missing a period in the time leading up to menopause is very common. Sometimes this may be for several months at a time or sometimes just the occasional period is missed. Since we are all different some women will find the opposite to be true and experience periods more frequently such as every 15 days.

Longer or shorter periods
Longer periods happen to a fair amount of women, too. Some women entering menopause find their periods going of for up to three weeks, although flow is usually minimal. On the other hand, you could get off easy and end up having periods that last just a day or two.

Watery periods
This symptom of menopause can be rather disturbing because while most of us have heard about the heavy periods and irregular cycles, having watery periods doesnt get mentioned much. It does happen fairly frequently, though, usually to women who experience longer periods. While watery periods are usually nothing to worry about, if theres a chance you could be pregnant, make sure you dont have an ectopic pregnancy. If you experience abdominal pain, see a doctor.

Simple Treatments
One of the simplest ways to normalize your menstruation is to make sure you're getting enough B complex vitamins, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. All these nutrients have been shown to help normalize the menstrual cycle. If youd like to try herbs, black cohosh and chasteberry tree are good choices. You may also want to consider adding natural sources of estrogen in the form of estrogenic foods such as soy, cherries, and yams.

Most women suffer from some level of PMS, with some women feeling their symptoms worse than other women. The purpose of this article was to give you a variety of natural PMS relief options.