Menopause

This natural phase—which broadly encompasses perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause—means a woman has stopped ovulating and can no longer get pregnant. The clinical definition requires a woman to go a whole year without bleeding or spotting to know she has hit menopause.

Although it's rare, some women may experience menopause early. Early menopause describes women that are menopausal between the ages of 40 and 45. Women that go through menopause before age 40 experience premature menopause. Early experiences of menopause impact under 6% of women, and doctors can’t point to a specific reason why it happens. Learn about what we do know about the conditions here.

Early menopause is when you reach menopause before the age of 45. While doctors can’t pinpoint an exact cause of early menopause, there are risk factors which increase a woman’s chances of entering this life stage sooner. Potential causes include smoking, autoimmune diseases, and some surgeries. Learn more about what can lead to early menopause with this guide.

Perimenopause (also referred to as the menopausal transition) is the time period when a woman’s body begins prepping for menopause. During this stage, the ovaries production of the reproductive hormones progesterone and estrogen decline. Plus, she’ll likely experience a slew of mental and physical symptoms. Typically women enter this stage in their mid-40s and stay in it for four years, but this varies from person to person. Learn more here.

Nearly all studies (99%) researching the biology of aging don’t consider menopause in their setup. A Harvard professor noted that about 75% of aging-related diseases are likely influenced by menopause. In this article, she discusses how gaps in research are negatively impacting how the medical system can effectively treat aging women. Read her analysis of the issue here.

Menopause has long been a topic left out of film and tv. But some shows, like “The Change,” and celebrities, like Jennie Garth, are now openly talking about it. This article breaks down how Hollywood is starting to come around to the menopause conversation and how celebrities are talking about their own personal experiences, as well as advocating on Capitol Hill. Read it here.

While there is no cure for menopause, there are ways to treat some of the intense symptoms women experience during perimenopause. There are two main hormone therapies used, one in the form of a pill, gel, or patch to treat symptoms like hot flashes, and another in the form of a cream or ring to treat symptoms like vaginal dryness. Read this article to learn more about the different hormone therapies available for menopausal women.

Women going through perimenopause may experience some common physical and mental symptoms at varying degrees. Some symptoms include hot flashes, bladder control issues, brain fog, and vaginal dryness. This article dives into some of the most common symptoms women might expect during perimenopause, plus what they can do to relieve them. Read it here.

Medical menopause is when menopause is induced from either surgery or medicine. Chemotherapy and radiation, as well as oophorectomy (a surgical procedure that removes the ovaries) and a radical hysterectomy can cause a woman to become menopausal. Women that go through medical menopause experience the same symptoms as women that experience natural menopause. Learn more about the medical condition here.

Late-onset menopause is when a woman starts going through perimenopause after the age of 55. While there are some benefits to this—like the lowered risk of osteoporosis—late menopause does bring about an increased risk for certain types of cancers, like breast, ovarian, and uterine. Certain factors, like obesity or thyroid disease, can lead to delayed menopause. Learn more about late-onset menopause here.