Do Discharge Of Clots And Heavy Bleeding Indicate Perimenopause?

I am 46 years old, female, and have a severe problem with my period. I have extremely heavy bleeding accompanied by (sometimes) half dollar sized clots. The bleeding usually lasts about 6 days, lately it's been longer, though. Sometimes as much as 2 weeks. I just want to know why I'm passing clots and what can be done to "lighten the load" of these awful periods. Is this a sign of perimenopause?