perimenopause

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek περί (peri, “about, around, near”). + μήν (men, “month”) + παῦσις (pausis, “pause”).

Noun

perimenopause (uncountable)

1. The physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause, when, due to hormonal changes, they progress from their usual pattern of menstruation through a phase of atypical menstruation, and finally cease menstruating. Perimenopause ends when a woman has not menstruated for a year.
   • 2009, Robert Preidt, 'Study to Assess Hormone Therapy Before Menopause', ABC News, [1] (Mar. 23 2009):

     Researchers at eight locations across the United States plan to examine the safety and effectiveness of estrogen therapy during perimenopause, the few years just prior to menopause.

Usage notes

• The term has been in use since at least 1931, when it was used in Joseph Bolivar De Lee and Jacob Pearl Greenhill's book, Obstetrics: Gynecology

Synonyms

• climacteric

Derived terms

• perimenopausal

Translations

• French: périménopause (fr)

References

• De Lee, Joseph Bolivar, and Greenhill, Jacob Pearl, 1931, Obstetrics: Gynecology. Year Book Publishers. ISBN: 0815157320
• Djordjević, Svetolik P., 2004, Dictionary of medicine: French-English with English-French glossary. Schreiber Publishers.
• Finn, Martha, and Bowyer, Lucy, 2005, Women's Health: A Core Curriculum. Elsevier: Australia. ISBN: 0729537366
• Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Accessed 6 Dec 2009. >peri-
• Preidt, Robert, 2009, 'Study to Assess Hormone Therapy Before Menopause', ABC News, Mar. 23 2009. [2]
• Santoro, Nanette, and Goldstein, Steven R., (eds.), 2002, Textbook of perimenopausal gynecology. Informa Health Care. ISBN: 1842141708