Women, are usually pretty confident of when the monthly cycle is due and it`s arrival can be predicted to within a couple of days.  However, when menopause is imminent, periods will become irregular and hard to predict, which can be terribly inconvenient as most women will already be aware.

This is just one of the symptoms that signify the levels of hormones that the woman is producing, is changing.  Hormones are actually chemicals produced by different areas of the body and they affect many important functions. As far as women are concerned, these hormones affect almost all organ systems in the body.

As a woman ages and begins to approach menopause, her levels of these hormones change, sometimes causing a woman's periods to occur even more frequently prior to halting completely.  A smaller number of women find that their periods stop abruptly, but most become irregular before tapering off gradually.

Sometimes women can confuse PMS with menopause, as some of the symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, bloating and lethargy are the same in both.  A simple test or a visit to the doctor will confirm whether PMS or menopause is to blame.

It is important to remember that this is part of the natural process that the body goes through to prepare itself for menopause.  And while there are many changes that women will experience, at least, we can say goodbye to such things as stomach cramps and heavy periods.

Taking the time to adjust to the changes and surrounding yourself with a strong support group of family and friends, will certainly make the transition more pleasant.  They will be invaluable in those times when you need support (weekly) cheering up (daily) or even a shoulder to cry on (hourly, on bad days) when those pesky hormones start raging and you feel the whole world is out to get you.