ABSTRACT
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), in developing a consensus opinion in 2000 for clinical management of perimenopausal problems, stated that there was inadequate clinical trial data to formulate evidence-based treatment protocols for women in this life phase (1). At that point in time, then, clinicians were left with using data on menopausal women and translating those findings back to women in the perimenopause or relying on their clinical experience in developing treatment approaches for patients. Subsequent to that, NAMS updated position statements over the years and established more precise, evidence-based guidelines in 2007 for women in the perimenopausal phase (2). Many changes or problems reported by perimenopausal women are similar to those of diagnosed emotional disorders with depressive or anxiety symptoms-insomnia, fatigue, low mood, tension, concentration and memory problems. It is important for clinicians to distinguish between expected changes in the climacteric phase and symptoms that meet criteria for emotional disorders.
