‘THIS PHASE usually occurs after 40 and up to five years before you start the menopause,’ says consultant gynaecologist Tania Adib. ‘Distinguishing the symptoms from PMS can be a bit of a grey area-it can be a time when many women who have never experienced PMS-type symptoms begin to have them. Because they’re still having periods, they may not associate their symptoms with the approach of the menopause, and may be prescribed antidepressants when it’s really their hormones that are to blame.’
Spot the symptoms