The short explanation
Perimenopause is the years before periods stop, and periods continuing is part of it rather than evidence against it. The commonest first change is the pattern: cycles getting shorter, then longer, heavier or lighter, with the occasional one missed. Hot flushes, poor sleep, low mood, anxiety, joint aches, brain fog and vaginal dryness may come with it, in any combination or hardly at all. In a woman over 45 it is usually a diagnosis made from the story rather than from a blood test — hormone levels swing so much during perimenopause that a single result can be misleading.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- It typically starts in the mid-forties and lasts several years, though it can begin earlier. Under 45, and especially under 40, it is investigated rather than assumed.
- The overlap with thyroid problems, anaemia, depression and simple exhaustion is wide, which is why the story matters and why a checklist off the internet is not a diagnosis.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you whether what you are experiencing is perimenopause, whether a test would help in your case, or what is causing any single symptom. It also cannot tell you when your periods will stop.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Does what I am describing fit perimenopause, given my age?
- Is a blood test useful for me, or would it mislead?
- What else could explain this, and should we rule anything out?
- Which of these symptoms are treatable, and what are the options?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
- See a clinician rather than waiting for bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, periods that soak through protection hourly, or any bleeding at all more than a year after your last period.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
No sources recorded yet.
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off. That is what the “Editorially reviewed” badge means, and why it does not say “Clinically reviewed”. It was written and checked by AskHer’s editorial team, and it is queued for a clinician who works in this area. No sources are recorded against it yet.
- Review status
- Editorially reviewed
- Last reviewed
- Last reviewed 26 September 2026
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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