Symptoms Can Begin Years Ahead.

• Position: Menopause - Brief Article

If you're a woman, do you subconsciously turn off when you hear the word "menopause"? Do you think you're too young to worry about the symptoms, that menopause is years away?

"Many women are not familiar with the term 'perimenopause,' or with the physical and emotional changes that can occur during this time," says Lila Nachtigall, a menopause expert, board-certified gynecologist, and medical advisor to the Vagisil Women's Health Center, an online health information resource at www.vagisil.com. "Starting in their late 30s or early 40s, women can enter this transitional period which leads to menopause and they can experience some very uncomfortable symptoms."

Among the changes a woman may experience in the perimenopausal stage are irregular menstruation, forgetfulness or concentration problems, mood swings, hot flashes, headaches, feelings of anxiety, insomnia, and some important private concerns women often hesitate to speak about to their doctor--a decreased sexual drive and vaginal dryness.

"More than 80% of sexual problems have little or nothing to do with a couple's relationship. Rather, it's very often a physical cause such as vaginal dryness, which results from...