TLDR. Changes in period or menstrual cycles are commonly associated with perimenopause. What to expect varies based on the stage of perimenopause you're in.
Towards the end of perimenopause, it is common for women to have menstrual cycles which last 60 days or more. Cycle irregularity has been linked to reproductive aging (we don’t love this wording either, but it’s how the medical field refers to this) and more importantly these irregularities can provide a window into how your hormone levels are shifting. The Stages of Reproductive Again Surrounding the Menopausal Transition have been studied and established well enough to create a framework called STRAW.
STRAW: Stages of Reproductive Aging Surrounding the Menopausal Transition (Soules et al, 2001)
*This update to FSH levels and likelihood of symptom presence was added in the 2012 update to the STRAW Framework (Harolow, et al, 2012)
What causes periods to become irregular?
FSH. As women age, we have less follicles. As we enter into early perimenopause, there is an increase in FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which gets follicles to mature more rapidly and as a result, menstrual cycles are often shortened in the early phases of perimenopause (Santoro, 2016)
LOOP Cycles (aka luteal-out-of-phase events). This happens when ovulations happen in really short succession, think multiple ovulations between periods. This can be associated with other hormone fluctuations which drive additional irregularities (Santoro, 2016)
Over time, these short menstrual cycles will give way to longer and longer menstrual cycles
You're not alone. Periods will eventually stop and a woman is in menopause one year after her last period. So, this is a phase which will eventually end.
Not knowing when your period is coming and what it might look like can be particularly challenging if you've been fairly regular for decades. This can be a big change, and change can be hard. Know you're not alone. This is a natural transition, has a definitive end with menopause. Women all over the world are going through this change with you.
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