Stages of Menopause

Menopause is the term used to describe the time women stops having her menstrual periods. It is more commonly (and inaccurately) used to decribe the menopause stage, perimenopause. There are stages of menopause which women experience. These stages of menopause consists of:

• Premenopause
• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• Postmenopause

The timeline below illustrates the stages of menopause in relation to age. This is a representation of the number of years for each menopause stage that may help in understanding the stages of menopause. More details of each stage is described below.

Premenopause refers to a woman's reproductive or fertile life, from the first menstrual period to the last. It has been misused to describe the years immediately before menopause (perimenopause) or to describe premature menopause.

Perimenopause represents the years immediately preceding menopause. Most people refer to perimenopause when discussing menopause. During perimenopause, hormonal changes in the body can result in menopause symptoms. The onset of perimenopause is typically between 45 and 60 years old and can span a 2-6 year period.

Menopause is the stage where a woman has her last period. It is the permanent cessation of the menstruation and fertility. Most women will experience natural menopause, however, in a few cases, premature or artificial menopause is experienced. Menopause can be confirmed by 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period.

Postmenopause is the stage in a woman's life after the last menstrual period. Postmenopause can bring up new health issues due to the reduced production of female hormones like estrogen and progesterone. The two potential serious health concerns in postmenopausal women is osteoporosis and heart disease.