Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her ovaries cease to produce hormones and her menstrual periods stop for good due to the loss of ovarian follicular function. A woman is said to be in menopause when she has gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. In general, women become menopausal between 45 and 55 years of age.
Perimenopause means “around pause” and is the transitional phase that happens just before menopause. It is marked by a drop in estrogen levels. Perimenopause can last from anywhere between 4 months and 4 years.
Postmenopause is the period after menopause. A woman stays in postmenopause for the rest of her life after menopause. Most symptoms of menopause ease up in postmenopause, but women can continue to have mild menopausal symptoms for several years in postmenopause. Women in the postmenopausal phase are at an increased risk for osteoporosis and heart disease due to low estrogen levels.
