perimenopause

English

Etymology

From peri- (“near”) +‎ menopause. 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.

Noun

perimenopause (uncountable)

1. The physiological stage that women approaching menopause go through 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.
   • 2008 March 24, Robert Preidt, “Study to Assess Hormone Therapy Before Menopause”, in ABC News‎^[1]:

     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.

   • 2021 April 29, Jessica Grose, “Why Is Perimenopause Still Such a Mystery?”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The scientific study of perimenopause has been going on for decades, and the cultural discussion of this mind and body shift has reached something of a new fever pitch, with several books on the subject coming out this spring and a gaggle of “femtech” companies vowing to disrupt perimenopause.

   • 2023 October 15, Catherine Pearson, “8 Sex Myths That Experts Wish Would Go Away”, in The New York Times‎^[3], →ISSN:

     She noted that it is also more common while women are nursing or during perimenopause, and that certain medications, including some forms of birth control, can decrease lubrication.

Synonyms

• climacteric

Derived terms

• perimenopausal

Translations

physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause

• French: périménopause (fr)

References

• De Lee, Joseph Bolivar, and Greenhill, Jacob Pearl, 1931, Obstetrics: Gynecology. Year Book Publishers. →ISBN
• 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
• 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. [4]
• Santoro, Nanette, and Goldstein, Steven R., (eds.), 2002, Textbook of perimenopausal gynecology. Informa Health Care. →ISBN