When you are pregnant of course you will not have periods. When you are perimenopausal you will still be having your monthly period. Some of the symptoms however for both being in perimenopause and being pregnant could well overlap as they are hormonal in nature.
We are all unique and individual, just as in pregnancy some women feel full of energy and amazing, whilst going through the perimenopause some women feel at their best and some may suffer and experience symptoms.
Breast tenderness is one area that you could experience in both pregnancy and during the perimenopause, fluctuations in hormones causing that tenderness. Decreased energy during pregnancy could again be similar in perimenopause. Mood changes, weight gain, increase urgency to urinate could also be present in perimenopause and if you were pregnant.
It is vitally important to remember that during the perimenopause you can indeed become pregnant even if your periods are erratic, it is not until you have gone for 12 consecutive months without a period that it is unlikely that you will fall pregnant. It is sensible to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider so that they can assess your symptoms to see if you are perimenopausal or indeed pregnant.
Whilst you can see that some symptoms could be mistaken for being pregnant or experiencing the perimenopause if if you really look at what is happening within the body you will see that they are opposite in nature. For example being pregnant increases your hormones and fertility is obviously strong, while going through the perimenopause your hormones are decreasing & becoming erratic and fertility is waning. It is the change in hormone levels that can give you a rollercoaster of symptoms during both perimenopause and being pregnant.
Age is an important factor to take into account when wondering if you are perimenopausal or pregnant. Perimenopausal symptoms usually begin in your 40s and 50s.