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Many people say they're going through menopause when what they're really experiencing between the ages of 35 and 50 is peri-menopause. It is the time when changes begin to occur. The hormone estrogen, which was once vital to the reproductive cycle, starts to be minimally produced as you get older. One of the first thing you may notice is dry skin, or being dry "down there" during sexual activity which starts many women on a search for menopause treatment.

At first the changes may be minimal but most irritating! You might have irregular periods that come and go at inconvenient times. This is caused by the lower estrogen in the body, which controls the monthly cycle. Because the end of menstruation signals the beginning of full menopause, this annoying menopause symptom may last for as long as you are in the pre-menopause stage.

Two more annoying early menopause symptoms are night sweats and hot flashes. Hot flashes come without warning and your body just begins to sweat profusely! But don't worry, the reason it's called a flash is because it goes away quickly. Basically your body starts to heat up and you'll begin to sweat, then it's all over. Unfortunately, hot flashes and excessive sweating go together because sweating is the body's normal reaction to being hot and trying to cool down. This is one of the major things that happens during menopause that women seek menopause treatment for.

The hot flash that comes at night is known as a night sweat. When night sweats occur, you may just continue to sweat until you wake up. After the night flash ends, your sweat may cool down before you notice and you will wake up wet and freezing cold! This is where the term cold sweat comes from.

Another common early menopause symptom is mood swings; you need to be careful with these as they could harm your relationship.Mood swings are as common as PMS and you may begin to feel depressed, or experience a sense of pending doom. You may suffer from insomnia as you start to feel less confident and start to worry more about what's going on with your body.

Not getting enough sleep can cause you to be more cranky, which will not help your experience at all. These things will pass in time, but you need to keep in control of them if you are to have your life back after you get through pre-menopause. You will just need to be constantly aware of your emotions during this time. Both your mind and body are affected in "not so normal" ways during this time.