The transition can begin anywhere between two to 10 years before menopause, and during that time, people can experience hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes and muscle aches, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
About a third of women experience depressive symptoms during perimenopause, but the usual treatments are not always effective and may not be worth the side effects, the Journal reported.
Some pharmaceutical researchers are testing drugs approved by the FDA to treat postpartum depression and hot flashes. Others are testing new, experimental drugs.
Hadine Joffe, MD, director of the women’s hormones and aging research program at Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is leading research on Sage Therapeutics’ Zulresso to see if the postpartum depression treatment can help with mood swings common among 40-year-old women.
Pfizer’s Duavee drug is also thrown in the ring for potential solutions, according to the Journal, since the hot flash and bone-density medication helped manage mood changes in preliminary data.
An approved perimenopausal treatment is still years away since research is in its early stages.
