04/20/2026
Perimenopause doesn’t begin until your cycle length varies more than 7 days from your norm, consistently.
A hot flash alone doesn’t get you there.
And it frustrates me that this stage keeps getting skipped over. Influencers are quick to slap a perimenopause label on every symptom, but have you ever had a hot flash and still had a completely regular cycle? Yeah. Me too.
Before you spiral, start here: track your cycle. Know your baseline. That’s step one.