Confusingly, there are several stages of menopausal transition. Here are some definitions:
Peri-menopause: The period when a woman’s supply of eggs is running out and her hormone levels (especially of oestrogen and progesterone) are decreasing. This transition time to the end of a woman’s reproductive life can last 4 to 10 years and causes unpredictable fluctuations in hormone levels, which may result in debilitating symptoms. This is the phase which, in general society, is commonly, but inaccurately, referred to as ‘menopause’.
Menopause:This is actually one date in time, naturally occurring 12 months after a woman has had her final menstrual period, after her last egg has been released. Natural menopause is only confirmed retrospectively, after a woman has experienced 12 successive months of having no periods, or amenorrhoea. Natural Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 to 55, with the average age being 51.
Post-menopause: Begins 12 months after a woman’s final menstrual period. The celebratory phase!
Premature menopause: Menopause which occurs at ages less than 40 years.
Surgical or chemical menopause: Sudden, un-natural menopause which occurs after ovaries are surgically removed, or as a result of chemotherapy or other types of cancer treatment in some women.
