I'm postmenopausal now, but I hate to tell you, perimenopause started in my late 30s and lasted a good ten years for me. And the irregular periods continued right up until they stopped. (I'd always been clockwork until perimenopause too.) Consider yourself lucky that you don't have to be spending the money on pregnancy tests that I spent every time I was two weeks late, for five years.

I didn't start having hot flashes until after my periods stopped AND I quit eating soy. Thankfully, they've been very mild, and are tapering off.

Hope the symptoms become tolerable for you.