perimenopause

English edit

Etymology edit

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 edit

perimenopause (uncountable)

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 edit

climacteric

Derived terms edit

perimenopausal

Translations edit

physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause

French: périménopause (fr)

References edit

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