Menopause is a natural part of the aging process; it marks the end of fertility in a woman’s life. Menopause may occur naturally anytime between the ages of 40 to 65, but here in the US the average age of menopause is 52 years old. There are some occasions when menopause may occur before the age of 40 years old, if this occurs, it is considered a premature or early menopause and is outside medical norms. Medical conditions, genetic disorders, surgery or medical treatments are all things that may lead to or cause early menopause.
The term menopause is sometimes used to refer to the entire process leading up to the end of fertility, but this is actually incorrect. Menopause is the exact date a woman is no longer fertile, it is the date a woman has her final day of menstruation. Obviously because a lot of women don’t keep exact records of their bleeding, this date is not always 100% known. To stray on the side of caution, waiting until one full year has passed without bleeding is usually recommended to fully confirm menopause. This is important because during this phase, bleeding becomes irregular and it’s not uncommon to skip periods, so until one full year without bleeding has passed, it’s best to assume that pregnancy is still possible.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the phase leading up menopause, it may last anywhere from a few months to ten years. The symptoms associated with perimenopause are the same as menopause signs. Perimenopause ends when menopause is reached and then after menopause a woman is said to be postmenopausal. Once menopause is reached, menopause signs will diminish and eventually disappear altogether; this may take a few years or happen suddenly.
Symptoms
- Irregular bleeding – periods will sometimes be skipped, bleeding may be lighter or heavier
- Irregular ovulation – during months when ovulation doesn’t occur, mature eggs don’t drop, this makes it hard to conceive if you’re trying to get pregnant
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Insomnia – maybe a result of night sweats
- Vaginal dryness – this may cause pain during intercourse
- Loss of sex drive
- Hair thinning
- Facial hair
- Ear ringing
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory loss
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dry skin
- A skin crawling or tingling sensation in limbs (formication)
- Incontinence – this is usually urine leakage during a cough or while laughing
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Osteoporosis
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