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Perimenopause pp 170–183Cite as

Inhibin and Steroid Changes in the Perimenopause

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Part of the book series: Serono Symposia USA ((SERONOSYMP))

Abstract

The World Health Organization has defined the menopause as the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from loss of ovarian follicular activity (1). The perimenopause is defined as the period that commences when the first features of approaching menopause begin until at least 1 year after the final menstrual period (FMP). The term menopausal transition has been applied to the portion of the perimenopause that ends with the FMP (2). The menopausal transition as studied in a group of North American women had a duration of approximately 4 years (3). Thus, the overall average duration of the perimenopause is 5 years. Studies of the hormonal changes occurring during the perimenopause have been based on various experimental designs and definitions. In some instances hormonal changes have been recorded as a function of age with little attention paid to menstrual cycle status (4, 5). In the few longitudinal studies reported, the FMP has been used as a reference point, with hormonal changes described in terms of time intervals before and after that point (6–9). Very few studies have reported on hormone changes in relation to changes in menstrual cycle characteristics, such as the first self-reported change in the amount of menstrual flow, in the frequency of menstruation, or in the combination of changes in flow and frequency. This approach has been adopted in the Melbourne Mid-Life Project (10) for which data are provided below.

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Authors
  1. Henry G. Burger
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Rogerio A. Lobo M.D.

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Burger, H.G. (1997). Inhibin and Steroid Changes in the Perimenopause. In: Lobo, R.A. (eds) Perimenopause. Serono Symposia USA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2288-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2288-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7488-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2288-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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