The Stages of Menopause

If you are a woman in midlife, you may be starting to notice some changes in your body as well as how you are feeling. Some women will feel this more than others.

You may be one of the women that feel like the subject of menopause still feels a little taboo and also that it is hard to find information about what you are going through. A lot of women also cite that they don’t feel they get much support from their doctor. 

I wanted to, in this blog, to shed some insight into the stages of menopause as there are various stages and the entire process can take several years.

Menopause indicates the end of reproduction for a woman. Commonly, women reach menopause in their 40s or 50s, with the average age being 51. 

The stages for a woman transitioning to menopause are as follows:

Perimenopause - meaning “around or near menopause.” It can start in your early to mid-forties but for some women it can start in their late thirties. 

During this stage, women begin to experience symptoms of hormonal changes. These could range from irregular menstrual cycles, hot flushes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, irritability, weight gain, joint pain, and brain fog. 

The average length of the perimenopause stage is anywhere from one to seven years. During this stage our estrogen production starts to fluctuate wildly causing these symptoms.

Many women I speak to have no idea what perimenopause is! They may start researching themselves to understand why they are feeling the way they do, or they have spoken to a friend who has been through it, or their doctor may advise them about this stage of the menopause transition.

Menopause – Once you have gone a full 12 months from your last period you are considered to be in Menopause. This is when the ovaries have stopped producing eggs and have also stopped producing most of their estrogen. The average age of menopause is 51 years old.

Because your estrogen is very low this leads to a wide range of symptoms including the dreaded hot flushes, mood swings, irritability, sleep problems and what most women experience is weight gain.

Menopause technically lasts only one day ― the very first day after you haven’t had a period for one full year. Before that day, you are perimenopausal, and after you’re postmenopausal.

Postmenopause - If it has been over a year since your last period, you are now in the postmenopause stage and you will continue to be in this stage for the rest of your life.

Some women experience their symptoms getting better in this stage, some over time from a year after or some cite that their symptoms stay the same as they experienced through perimenopause. 

What is the difference between perimenopause and menopause you ask? Good question – they are different in that our bodies in menopause no longer make estrogen or progesterone. Whereas in perimenopause it does, albeit that is on the decline.  

Menopause is technically only one day of a woman’s life. The day she hits one full year without a period is the day she reaches menopause. After that, she is postmenopausal.

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP SYMPTOMS NATURALLY?

Yes, is the short answer!  As we transition through midlife our dietary needs do change from what we were eating before. A good healthy wholefoods diet is the best way to help to balance your hormones and the sooner you start introducing this diet the better you will be the closer you get towards menopause and post menopause.  

A good lifestyle is also important to help manage symptoms. 

To help you get started I have put together a guide to improving your sleep, mood and energy called 7 Steps to Feeling Better. 

Grab your free copy today by clicking here.