The Stages Of Menopause

Most people think of menopause as the entire process of a menstrual cycle stopping, but there are actually four stages of menopause. A woman will actually experience all four of the stages of menopause before she has actually completed the process.

The early stages of menopause include premenopause and perimenopause. These phases of menopause have often been used interchangeably, but this is not correct. Premenopause is actually the time in a woman’s life leading up to menopause—her fertile years. This is also referred to as the luteal phase of menopause, because a luteal phase is a certain time period in a woman’s menstrual cycle, and if this phase is still occurring, menopause has not yet begun. The prefixes “pre” and “peri” are commonly switched, but premenopause is actually the time during which no menopause symptoms have begun. Once they have begun, however, a woman is experiencing the second of the menopause stages. This is the very beginning of menopause signs and symptoms. Perimenopause is considered a new phase of menopause because, in the past, it was just considered part of actual menopause, as the stages of menopause were not clearly defined. Now, it is more clearly defined as the time in which a woman’s body is preparing for menopause. This stage of menopause can begin as early as 35 years of age, and can last up to 15 years.

The next of the stages of menopause is actually called menopause. This phase of the stages of menopause is when a woman actually has her last period, and does not have another one for at least a year. This is the time in which a woman is considered to have menopause. The last of the stages of menopause is postmenopause. This is the time in a woman’s life where she usually needs to take hormone medications to help regulate her system, and to fight off bone problems and other health issues that can be caused by the onset of menopause. Hormone replacement therapies can create their own problems, and this phase of a woman’s life poses many more health concerns and potential for many diseases. Cancer of the female organs is often something that has to be monitored for more extensively during this part of a woman’s life. Such cancers can include ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer, and more. Hormone replacement therapies are often necessary during this stage of menopause, but they can contribute to the occurrence of these illnesses.