What is Menopause?
Menopause is the period of life where a woman’s menstrual cycles have come to an end, officially marking the end of reproductive years. The US National Institutes of Health specifically defines menopause as the point in-time 12 months after a woman’s last period.
The years leading up to menopause will usually start showing specific symptoms that the end of the reproductive years is near. This period of years, often called perimenopause or the menopausal transition, will include changes in the monthly cycle of periods, hot flashes, variations in hormone levels for estrogen and progesterone, and other changes in biology.
What age does menopause start?
Menopausal symptoms arrive at different times for each person. Typically, the menopausal transition (perimenopause) most often begins between ages 45 and 55, though this can vary based on ethnicity and lifestyle of the person. Perimenopause lasts roughly seven years, but it can go on as long as 14 years. After 12 full months of no menstrual cycles, the woman has officially entered menopause.