It might start slowly at first. Your usual 28-day cycle is now coming every 24-26 days or so. You increasingly forget words. Your nails have developed odd ridges ("must be the gels," you think), and maybe your hair is drier than it used to be. You don't think too deeply about any of it. Then, there’s a particularly intense bout of PMS, with anger so off the charts, it could power Times Square. You flip your wig so hard that in those moments of absolute rage, you don't recognize yourself. There's “regular” anger and then there's a level of lividity that you know is just not normal. Your boobs may feel beyond tender. Your skin is weirdly itchy and driving you crazy, but you just cannot figure out why, so you start to try all sorts of gentle detergents. Nothing helps. You have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. You wake up at 5 am. You’re tired all the time, which just aggravates your irritability. You’ve started feeling noticeably warmer in general, and often get flushed in the face. Your face might be warm, but your feet and hands are weirdly cold. These are all signs of peri.

Some common peri things are:

• Forgetting words

• Weight gain

• Shorter or longer menstrual cycles

• Heavier or lighter periods

• Trouble falling asleep/staying asleep/waking up far too early

• Difficulty concentrating

• Dizziness / feeling faint / vertigo

• Night sweats

• Flushed face

• Irritability

• Anxiety

• Low libido

• Cold hands and feet

• Brain fog

• Dry hair

• Low mood/depression

• Change in hair texture

• Lack of interest in things/apathy

• Headaches & migraines

• Brittle / ridged nails

• Mood swings

• Worse PMS

• Breast tenderness

• Rage

• Itchy back

• Tingly skin

• Regularly feeling warmer

• Lack of self-confidence

• Fatigue

• Palpitations

• Altered sense of smell

• Increase in facial hair

• Dry vagina

• Hot flashes

• Itchy arms or legs

• Forgetfulness

• Itchy ears

• Need to pee more often

• Painful sex

Maybe you recognize one or two signs, or maybe loads, but just reading the list can prompt a million lightbulbs in your head and you go OMG! That's Me.

Peri, or its official title perimenopause, is a period of many years of hormone fluctuations before the final menstrual period (a.k.a menopause, which occurs at an average age of 51).

Peri is not premature menopause. Peri signs can actually start popping up anywhere from mid/late thirties. It’s not a case of if you will experience peri- it’s going to happen- it’s just a case of when. Maybe you’re one of the lucky minority who will sail through it. If a woman is on birth control, she may not even notice any peri signs until she comes off it. Some symptoms are worse than others, but symptomatic or not, a person with ovaries will go through peri. Peri can last anywhere from a year to over a decade. Just like puberty, it's not the same age for everyone.

Understandably, the word’s proximity to menopause means many of the women who start experiencing signs of peri as they approach 40 are unlikely to connect their symptoms to perimenopause. Peri has an awareness issue. You can be 38 years-old and in peri. You can very much be in peri and get pregnant. You can be in peri and at the club till 4 AM. We repeat peri does not automatically mean you are rapidly approaching menopause.

In peri, you’re on a hormonal roller coaster; highs and lows of estrogen and progesterone cause all sorts of mental, emotional, and physical ups and downs. Unfortunately, the peri ride lasts significantly longer than the three minutes on the Coney Island Cyclone.

Often, by the time we figure out what’s going on, we have endured several years of terrible sleep, being tired all the time, and an all-around toll on our physical, emotional, and mental health.

A bunch of lifestyle and nutrition changes can help reduce the severity of peri symptoms, and there’s brilliant hormone treatments available, too. The most important thing is that you get informed on ATP (all things peri) ASAP. Awareness will save you a lot of pain, energy, time, and money.

The Perisphere is not medical advice. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider.