During menopause, a woman has her last menstrual period, usually around the age of 51. This marks the end of the fertile phase in a woman's life. The time before and after this last menstrual period, during which a woman's body goes through several changes, is divided into four stages of menopause. The graph below shows the hormonal fluctuations and menopause symptoms experienced during the stages of menopause.
There are hormonal changes and symptoms in the years leading up to and beyond the last menstrual period. There are hormonal changes and symptoms in the years leading up to, and beyond the final menstrual period in a women's life. There are hormonal changes and symptoms in the years leading up to, and beyond the final menstrual period in a women's life.
revealed that the onset of menopause may also be affected by changes in the seasons�
Premenopauserefers to the entirety of a woman's life from her first to her last regular menstrual period. Premenopause is best defined as the period of "normal" reproductive function in a woman, leading into the next stage of menopause called perimenopause.
Perimenopause literally means "around menopause" and is a transitional stage of two to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. It is usually experienced by women from 35 to 50 years of age. This stage of menopause is characterized by hormone fluctuations, which cause typical menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes.
Menopause represents the end stage of a natural transition in a woman's reproductive life. Menopause is the point at which estrogen and progesterone production decreases permanently to very low levels. The ovaries stop producing eggs and a woman is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
Postmenopause refer to the period of life after menopause has occurred. It is generally believed that the postmenopausal phase begins when 12 full months have passed since the last menstrual period. From then on, a woman will be postmenopausal for the rest of her life.
REFERENCES:
Emily A. Kane. "Managing Menopause Naturally: Before, During, and Forever".
Susan Love. "Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book".
Marcus Laux, Christine Conrad. "Natural Woman, Natural Menopause".
Mary Jane Minkin & Carol Wright. "What Every Woman Needs to Know about
Menopause:The Years before, during, and After".