Our understanding of perimenopause and menopause care has drastically changed in the last 20 years. Now, women are encouraged to look out for a wide array of symptoms, with potential treatment starting as many as 10 years out from menopause. Our women’s health team Dr. Sarah Isquick and Dr. Sally Greenwald are joined by primary care doctors Dr. Amy Levin, Dr. Colleen Ryan, and Dr. Leila Alpers to outline how our scientific understanding of this time of life has changed and what every woman should know before they enter perimenopause.

The letter below is a fictional perspective based on the decades of experience our physicians and Women’s Health experts have had with patients who are trying to conceive, and the families who have experienced reproductive struggles along the way.

Women go through a variety of transitions throughout their lifetime, each with a unique change of hormones. These shifts are often accompanied by health questions and decisions to optimize care at that stage. While most women do not consider the long-term effects of their health choices at those times, there are clearly long-term health effects that can occur as a result. Dr. Carolyn Mannon and Dr. Jacqueline Fletcher explain.