3 unusual symptoms linked to perimenopause and menopause

It's World Menopause Day on Saturday, Oct. 18 — a day many organizations and advocates use to spotlight what we know about this period in women's lives and what we have yet to learn.

Some estimates of common perimenopause symptoms now tally upwards of 30.

• Catch up quick: Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause that often starts in a woman's 40s. Menopause — confirmed a year after the final menstrual period — happens around age 51, on average.

Here are three lesser-known symptoms of the midlife change:

1. Frozen shoulder: First, a woman will notice severe pain like she hit her shoulder, orthopedic surgeon Vonda Wright has explained. Then, she physically can't move it — sometimes for years.
2. High cholesterol: LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) often increases around menopause. That's particularly concerning because high cholesterol can impact heart health, and heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women.
3. Brain fog: Women have spoken out about how forgetfulness was such a problem for them in their 40s and 50s, it ended their careers. It can also feel eerily like dementia or Alzheimer's.