AIBU: people calling it peri-menopause instead of menopause

[Joyful26]

ok firstly I know that technically you are in peri-menopause, then the menopause itself is literally the day your period stops altogether- then after that one moment in time you are post-menopausal.

But people always calling it peri-menopause is clearly to indicate that they are actually still really young and nowhere near the menopause itself yet.

I think that’s why it grates on me so much. Because on the one hand they’re championing the issues that affect women etc, but at the same time making it clear that they themselves are actually very young and youthful- yet not afraid to mention these issues.

for what it’s worth I can’t be bothered faux-impressing anyone and I just call it the menopause.

but every single one of my friends calls it peri-menopause or they’re simply’peri’. We’re all mid 40s.

just saw someone on LinkedIn purporting to do a Women’s rights post, someone in her 50s commented about the menopause, and the original poster replied but talked about peri-menopause.

AIBU or a people who call it peri-menopause just a bit vain? 😅

Everyone is different. I have been in menapuase for 2 years and have seen a gradual subsidence of issues. I have reduced my HRT dramatically because of it. I was getting more and more brain fog and the GP kept telling me to up my dose until i was on 5 pumps. I didnt have enpugh body for it! So they did blood tests and found i had too much eostrogen. So now i am on 1 pump and likely to stop that also soon. But in peri i was horrendous.

You do know that people are different?

I am so bored of constantly hearing about everyone’s peri menopause or menopause. Literally every work meeting I go to someone is saying something like “sorry if I seem scatterbrained today, it’s peri menopause”. I am sick of women over sharing, I think it makes us seem like looneys.

Whatever it is and whatever it’s called I don’t want to do it any more 🤣
MAKE IT STOP

qq : when you have had menopause do you go back to normal? 🤞

I get what you mean, it’s like when people say they have stage 4 cancer like they’re more special than the people who have stage 1 cancer. All cancer is serious, why do they have to make the point about theirs being such a big deal by announcing its stage 4. It would save them time just to say cancer.

Do you see how silly that sounds? Well so does your rant about peri menopause. Bringing correct, accurate medical vocabulary into every day speech is actually helpful to a lot of people and shouldn’t be discouraged.

It's not a weird take at all.

It's completely logical.

Menopause is not reached until a woman has not had a period for a year.
So the day that 365 days has passed it is menopause day.

Everything after that day is, by definition, POST menopause so what's the point of the word menopause then?

According to this you're either peri- or post- menopause.

In any case, I stand by my statement that most women don't think too deeply about these definitions anyway and just use 'peri' to sound younger.
'Ooh I'm in peri. '

Irritating as hell. And no I am not a man.

You're wrong because you seem to think peri means 'prior to' which it does not. And why is a women's health issues only now being discussed despite it seriously affecting huge numbers of women since the dawn of time? Really??

Yes YABU, very much so.
As a PP said, if I wanted to indicate that I was young then I wouldn't be talking about it AT ALL. Talking about peri versus meno makes zero difference in my head as to how old I appear, the fact I'm talking to everyone who will listen denotes how few shits are given as to vanity surrounding my age.
I'm deep in the throes of peri-menopause and the fun & games that comes with it, I'm not menopausal, I'm peri-menopausal: fact - there's an actual factual difference so just go away and educate yourself and ask admins to take your thread down as you're just embarrassing yourself.

Agreed. I am 49 and have been in menapause for 2 years. I was in Perimenopause in my early 40's. I had a battle getting HRT because of my age so all confirmed via blood tests. Early menapuase is a thing. My Mum went into full menapause at 35 so likely genetic for me.

I stand by my statement that you're talking nonsense!

But stage 4 cancer generally means it has reached such an advanced stage it is often terminal, whereas stage 1 means it has been caught earlyish.

But it’s not the menopause is it as your periods haven’t stopped? You’re factually incorrect. What a stupid post

You haven't explained why I'm talking nonsense so I'm just going to reply to your comment out of politeness while completely ignoring your assertion that I'm talking nonsense.

Menopause is a year after your period stops so if you’re having heavy bleeding and still taking and needing contraception then no that’s not menopause. it’s not about claiming to be still young, it’s about the weird in between time. I’m 50. Siltill have a bit of a cycle but it’s ending. I now use both but three years ago if I’d said I had horrific heavy periods because I was in the menopausal that would just have been nonsensical and wrong.

They weren't designed differently - less attention was paid to them.

How many on this thread will have had gynae symptoms dismissed or misdiagnosed as something non-gynae in the past?

I know I did, that's how I ended up having a surgical menopause when I was 40.

I think it's all a bit tedious. It's nice that the pharma industry has woken up to the additional revenue opportunities, but I'm not sure how much point there is in almost fetishizing the whole thing. I don't see how banging on about it is feminist. My view is that talking so much about biological constraints (and it definitely feels like a constraint) just plays into the idea that women are weak and feeble.

This is an excellent point! Discourse about perimenopause assists in helping women get access the HRT when they actually need it, rather than after menopause as it used to be, or GPs doing unnecessary diagnostic blood tests or telling women they can only be on it for 5 years so hold off on starting for as many years as possible...
How on earth can more education and knowledge about women's health issues be seen as 'annoying' or vain or whatever by so many women? It's sad and it's internalised misogyny

I kind of agree with you. Using the term menopause is much easier. And we all understand what it means. Using 'peri' is quite new and pointless in my opinion

Read it properly 🙄

Read it again

I have been in perimenopause for the last eight years. And I am far from young at 53. I can’t see what is vain about hot sweats, no libido, thinning hair, indigestion, a worsening of my IBS, crying all the time, depression and high anxiety because that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling these last few years. Vanity? Absolutely not.

Maybe pop on to Dr Louise Newson’s website and educate yourself.

You talk as though you don’t understand the difference between peri and post menopause because you may not yet have had the lived experience of such joy. If you are in your mid 40’s and lucky enough not to have many symptoms yet hold on tight because you could be in for a rough ride. Peri is no fun, believe me.

Well firstly, you don't understand the difference between peri and menopause, and secondly you are assuming that other women use peri because they don't understand the difference between peri and menopause. Wrong twice.

Not really, an 80 year old woman is in the post menopause stage of her life where’s a 48 year old woman will often be in perimenopause, their symptoms will be very different.

Stage 4 cancer is a medical term meaning that the cancer has spread and almost certainly can't ever be fully cured so it absolutely a completely different journey to somebody is hoping that they can be cured. It doesn't make any cancer sufferer more 'special' than another but to anyone who cares enough to understand the biology behind a metastatic cancer it definitely does add context to their situation and referring to it as stage 4 cancer really shouldn't be bruising anybody's fragile ego....

Similarly peri-menopause is a medical term for the stage where your body is transitioning into the menopause. It can last years and is often when symptoms are felt most intensely. IMO as a medical professional there is absolutely nothing wrong with referring to it as this medically or morally.

Both of the above are scientifically verified medical terms that people generally use accurately. As with many things in the world nowadays though hurty feelings seem to get shouted about louder than scientifically proven fact. I can't wait to see how that turns out in a few years...