We put together some common questions about menopause to inform you about what’s happening to your body in midlife.
Here we answer questions such as “When do women start menopause?” “How long is menopause?”, along with everything in between, to provide a handy all-inclusive menopause 101 guide at your fingertips.
What is Menopause?
Simply, menopause is when you stop having your periods for an extended period. When 12 months without a menstrual cycle passes, you will be diagnosed as being in menopause.
Prior to menopause is a period of irregular and missed menses, termed peri-menopause.
What Causes Menopause?
As women age, their estrogen and progesterone levels naturally start to decline. These 2 essential sex hormones are necessary for fertility.
This drop in estrogen begins the process of peri-menopause, leading to menopause in midlife. At the same time, this hormone decrease also marks the end of your reproductive years.
There are also other reasons why women go through menopause, such as:
- Female surgery such as hysterectomy with removal of ovaries
- Chemical (medical) menopause, which results from harsh drugs such as chemotherapy
- Radiation directed at the ovaries
- Medical reasons such as hormonal imbalances and autoimmune conditions
When Does Menopause Start?
Many of you may be wondering at what age does menopause start? Google searches show that the question ”when do women start menopause” is one of the most searched topics for women midlife. Experts tell us menopause can begin in your 40’s and 50’s. However, there are always exceptions, and you should discuss any concerns about menopause with your provider.
What is the Average Age of Menopause?
We all like to think that we are normal. Measuring ourselves against other women is common. So you may ask, “typically, when do women go through menopause?” Mayo Clinic reports that 51 years old is the average age when women hit menopause.
How Long Does Menopause Last?
Sometimes it is not clear how long menopause can last. Due to this confusion, you are not the first to ask, “when does menopause end?”
Unfortunately, menopause never actually ends. Once you are declared to be in menopause and your menopausal symptoms have diminished, you are considered to be in postmenopause. You will be in post-menopause for the rest of your life. Your reproductive years are now behind you.
Advanced OB Institute tells us that the period of perimenopause through menopause typically lasts 4 years. However, it can take longer.
What Happens During Menopause?
During menopause, as estrogen and progesterone levels drop, you will begin to show symptoms of perimenopause, such as irregular periods. Your hormone levels will continue to decrease along with your periods until your menses stop altogether.
Most women also notice some side effects when going through menopause, such as hot flashes.
How Do You Know When Menopause Starts?
Menopause is typically noticeable when you begin to have irregular periods. You may also experience other signs of menopause to clue you in that the “change” is beginning. Your health providers may measure your estrogen and progesterone at this point to see if your levels are dropping and showing evidence of menopause.
What Are the Signs of Menopause?
During the time leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you may experience numerous symptoms of menopause.
Typically, these signs are mild to begin with and ramp up in intensity through menopause as your hormone levels drop (only to fade in postmenopause).
Signs of menopause to note are:
- Irregular periods
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Emotional changes such as mood swings, anxiety, depression, crying jags, and irritability
- Foggy-headed thinking/lack of concentration
- Sleep disturbance
- Vaginal and skin dryness
- Thinning hair
- Decreased sex drive
- Weight gain
- Decreased breast fullness
How Early Can Menopause Start?
Although some of us were anxious to grow up and begin our periods as young girls, most of us are not looking forward to menopause. Aside from no longer having a period, we rarely want “the change” to start early.
Perimenopause can begin as early as age 40. However, a condition called premature menopause or primary ovarian insufficiency can cause menopause to begin before age 40.
In addition, surgical or medical menopause can happen at anytime during a woman’s adult life.
What Causes Early Menopause?
Aside from surgical or medically induced menopause, what causes early (premature) menopause before age 40?
Primary ovarian insufficiency, called premature menopause, occurs in approximately 1% of women. This early menopause may be due to the failure of your ovaries to produce adequate levels of sex hormones. The cause can be genetic or due to autoimmune disease (or its treatment).
At times, premature menopause occurs with no apparent cause.
What Are the Worst Menopause Symptoms?
Most women do not escape without experiencing any noticeable (and unpleasant) menopause symptoms as they go through “the change”.
However, we all cope differently with these changes and side effects. Many women complain bitterly about hot flashes and night sweats as their most miserable issue with menopause. However, other women are more challenged by severe emotional upheavals due to the change. Side effects hit each of us differently.
Women who experience a rapid onset of menopause (perhaps due to surgery) live a combination of “better and worse” experiences with menopause. On the one hand, if you have a rapid onset of menopause, the menopause process is faster than natural menopause. You do not have to go through years of perimenopause and irregular periods to reach the final destination of postmenopause.
On the negative side, menopause symptoms come on quickly with a ferocious intensity. With no time to deal gradually with the onset, women in this category are often shocked and have trouble dealing with all the changes thrown at them.
No matter the circumstance, most symptoms of menopause are not pleasant and tend to disrupt your life on some level. However, once you are postmenopausal, most of the more annoying menopausal symptoms will disappear and you will no longer have to deal with a monthly cycle.
References
Mayo Clinic: “Menopause”. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
Cleveland Clinic: “Postmenopause”. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21837-postmenopause#:~:text=%20Menopause%20occurs%20when%20you%E2%80%99ve%20stopped%20producing%20the,in%20postmenopause%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20your%20life.
Advanced OB Institute: (2022.) “How Long Does Menopause Last?”. https://www.toplinemd.com/advanced-obgyn-institute/how-long-does-menopause-last-stages-of-menopause/
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