New here? The perimenopause guide collects all of it into one sheet. Educational, not medical advice — the record is for the conversation with your clinician, never instead of it.
§ VIII — Notes
Notes for the years
nobody warned you about.
Plain writing on perimenopause from the people building Second Spring: the whole symptom list, where the line between perimenopause and menopause actually falls, how long the transition runs, and what to demand of any tracker before you hand it a decade of your health.
- Perimenopause symptoms: the full list, including the ones nobody warns you aboutThe recognised symptoms grouped the way clinicians think about them — cycle, heat, sleep and mood, and the body list — plus the four red flags that mean see someone promptly rather than track it.2026
- Perimenopause vs. menopause: the difference, and why it changes what you trackOne is a transition of several years; the other is a single day you can only identify in hindsight. Why the confusion gets women in their forties told they are too young, and what each stage actually asks you to record.2026
- How long does perimenopause last? The honest timelineFour to eight years for most, with a real range on either side — the early and late stages, what shifts where you land in it, and the marker that says the end is probably within a few years.2026
- Looking for a Balance alternative? Read this firstTwo structural catches send people looking for something else: the data cannot leave, and the tracker is also a front door to services. The five things to demand of any alternative, and where we stand on each.2026