Perimenopause Symptoms Explained: Is Your Body Playing Tricks on You?

One minute you’re sweating through a meeting, and the next, you can’t remember where you left your keys. You might experience symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety, or joint pain. Here’s perimenopause symptoms explained, so you can understand what’s happening to your body and feel less alone. In fact, you’re not alone—thousands of women are navigating these changes too!

What are common perimenopause symptoms?
Perimenopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, memory problems, joint pain, and bladder issues. Understanding these changes helps women prepare for the menopause transition.

Main Perimenopause Symptoms

A 2022 survey1 of nearly 1000 women aged 40 and older revealed that many experienced changes, some of which were surprising and even overwhelming. Recognizing these symptoms as part of perimenopause can help you feel less confused and more in control.

Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS)

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) are primarily hot flashes (a sudden feeling of intense warmth that usually starts in the face or chest and spreads through the body. It often comes with sweating and a racing heart and can last from 2 to 30 minutes) and night sweats. Hot flashes and night sweats are experienced by about 40-60% of perimenopausal women2, 3.

Psychological and Cognitive Symptoms

The list is long and includes brain fog, sleep problems, mood swings, memory issues, depression, and more6. They are the most underappreciated symptoms4. Doctors write them off as non-significant, and we sometimes blame ourselves for just not having it together5. We should not feel guilty, it’s just biology, baby! We can manage them by using different tools.

General Physical Symptoms

General physical symptoms include muscle and joint pain/stiffness, headaches, irregular periods, and weight gain7.

Bladder and Vaginal Symptoms

These are bothersome symptoms such as vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, loss of interest in sex, and trouble controlling your bladder8.

Symptoms Reported by Women

Take a look at the graph below. One thing that stands out is that 0% of women reported having no symptoms. Another surprising finding is that the top two symptoms aren’t the ones we typically associate with perimenopause or menopause, hot flashes, or night sweats. Instead, they are psychological: mood swings and brain fog. This transition affects every aspect of your biology: body, brain, and, you might say, your soul (unfortunately, there is no scientific proof of the latter 🙂).

Click here if you would like to take a survey of your symptoms.