The Stages of Menopause

What are the stages of menopause?  There are actually 4 and we’ll go into each one of these here so that you can understand what is going on with your body and you don’t feel so alone.

The Stages of Menopause

Like most people, you don’t think about menopause until you are in it – or when you are told you are in ‘perimenopause’.  Perimenopause is the time right before actual menopause.  Menopause means you no longer have your periods – and you haven’t had one for 12 consecutive months, according to the Mayo Clinic.

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause happens right before menopause actually sets in.  What does this mean?  You may have heavier periods and periods that last longer than normal.  Or, you may have very short / light periods.  It could also mean you miss your periods for a month (or more) but then it comes back.   As long as you are still having your period – even occasionally – that means you are in perimenopause.  It’s not until you don’t have a period for 12 continuous months that you are considered in the stages of menopause.

And, actually perimenopause is one of the stages of menopause – which we will go into below.

Stage 1 of Menopause:

Believe it or not, the first stage is Pre-menopause.  Basically, when you hit puberty and it goes until you hit the next stage.  So, this can be the longest stage that you are in.  For example, girls are hitting puberty sometimes before they hit double digits.  So, if you were 8 or 9 when you hit puberty, you started stage one:  Pre-menopause.

Stage 2 of Menopause:

This stage is called Perimenopause and can last anywhere from 4 to 10 years.  This is what we talked about above.  There seems to be 100 Symptoms of Perimenopause and they range from:

• Light to heavy bleeding, including no bleeding.
• Vaginal dryness
• Mood swings and
• Perimenopause bloating .

These are all symptoms.  And, while there can be 100 or only 66 perimenopause symptoms, it’s important to know that it is real.  So, if you’re experiencing Perimenopause fatigue, you’re not the only one.  And, I’ve read that starting menopause in your mid 50’s gives you an increased risk of breast cancer.  Whether that’s true or not, I can’t be certain but while it’s pink ribbon breast cancer awareness month in October – it’s a good time to be talking about this.

Stage 3:

When you eventually hit a whole year (no period in a 12 month span), you are officially in the menopause stage.  Unfortunately, all of the symptoms in stage 2 can carry over into this stage.  Ugh!

Finally, stage 4 of Menopause:

Post Menopause is the final stage.  And, just like our predecessor “the Menopause stage”, we can continue to suffer from symptoms from Perimenopause (Stage 2) and Menopause (Stage 3).  Plus, we get some extras to go with it like Osteoporosis and heart disease.  Oh joy!  But, it’s not all doom and gloom.  If we are aware of our bodies, we don’t necessarily need to suffer with the symptoms – more on that later.

So there you have it – the stages of menopause!  Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the 4 stages of your Menstruation Cycle to help you better understand your body so you can make better decisions, along with your health care practitioner.