I understand that certain medical procedures can kick-start perimenopause. But I’ve read people who post things like “I’ve been in [peri/]menopause for xx years…” and without something significant to indicate the starting point, how do you know? My symptoms started I have no idea when. For several years I’ve had issues that at first I attributed to other things. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it’s perimenopause but how does anyone really know? Furthermore, to what extent does it matter?
We often come to figure out we’re in perimenopause by our symptoms, and then having those symptoms ruled out as being due to something else. So for many of us, we come to that conclusion in hindsight. It’s really difficult to pinpoint and actual start date, because the start could be something like random aches and pains, or a period that was a few days late or early…nothing significant. Then over time, we start to connect the dots.
So to answer your question…
We don’t.
Does it matter? Not really. The best thing you can do right now is start tracking symptoms and look for patterns. If the symptom is new and/or really unusual for you, then get it checked out by a doctor because some symptoms mimic other things (like thyroid, low iron, magnesium deficiency, arthritis, etc.)
Thanks, that confirms what I always thought! I had a look at my medical appointment history and this malarkey seems to have been going on for a good 7 years or so. Sigh.