Am I in Perimenopause?

The real signs — before your period disappears

If you’ve been wondering what the heck is going on with my body ? — you’re not alone. Maybe your periods are still regular(ish)*, but something just feels different. You’re waking in the night. Your mood is a rollercoaster. Your jeans feel tighter for no clear reason. You’re not imagining it.

Welcome to early perimenopause — a phase often misunderstood, often dismissed, and often misdiagnosed.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Jerilynn Prior, endocrinologist and founder of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR ), we now have clear, experience-based markers for identifying the real beginning of perimenopause — long before your cycle stops.

🩸 9 Signs You Might Be in Perimenopaus e

Dr. Prior suggests that if you’re still cycling but notice any 3 or more of the following symptoms, you may be in the early perimenopausal transition:

1. New heavy and/or longer periods
2. Shorter cycle lengths (≤ 25 days)
3. New sore, swollen, or lumpy breasts
4. New or worse period cramps
5. Waking in the night for no reason
6. Night sweats, especially before your period
7. New or increased migraines
8. Increased premenstrual symptoms or mood swings
9. Weight gain without changes to eating or activity

🧪 “Can I Just Get a Blood Test ?”

It’s a fair question. But unfortunately, blood tests are not reliable for diagnosing perimenopause — especially in the early stages.

Why ?  Hormone levels fluctuate daily — and even hourly — during perimenopause.

A “normal” estrogen or FSH level today doesn’t mean it was normal yesterday — or will be tomorrow.  You can have significant symptoms even when hormone levels fall within the “normal” range.  Blood tests might help rule out other causes (like thyroid issues), but they often miss the hormonal chaos of perimenopause altogether. This is a clinical diagnosis — one made by listening to you, not just looking at a lab.

👉 Want to understand this more?

Click here for our page on hormone blood tests and why they’re often unhelpful.

🌿 So What’s Actually Happening?

Perimenopause is driven by hormonal fluctuation — not just “low” hormones.

In early perimenopause:

• Estrogen levels are often higher, but they spike and crash unpredictably.
• Progesterone begins to drop, because ovulation becomes less consistent.
• This hormonal imbalance explains why symptoms appear — even while periods are still happening.

🛠 What You Can Do

• Track your symptoms — try a journal or app for spotting patterns over time.
• Tune in, not out — mood, sleep, breast changes, and period flow are clues.
• Talk to someone who understands — not everyone is trained in perimenopause.

Remember: your experience matters — even without a “positive” test result.

✨ The Bottom Line

Perimenopause isn’t a diagnosis you wait for — it’s a transition you move through. And the earlier we recognise it, the more support we can offer.

You don’t need a blood test to believe yourself.

You just need to notice what’s changing — and know that change has a name.

Let’s keep naming it. Let’s keep making it visible.

— SN