If you thought the menopause was shrouded in mystery, please spare a thought for its precursor – perimenopause. Defined by the NHS as “the time from the start of menopausal symptoms until after a woman has experienced her last period”, it’s a stage of life that many women are in the dark about, even though it can be marked by telltale signs and symptoms.
While every women experiences perimenopause in their own way, some of the more familiar signs may include weight gain, mood swings and hot flushes. In my case, I repeatedly forgot the word for “spoon”. I knew it was in the cutlery family, but I could ... not ... grasp ... that ... noun. It took months of me saying: “I know it’s not a knife or fork ...” before GP blood tests told me I was perimenopausal. Brain fog had been my sole indicator.
