What is menopause?
By MenoVerdict editorial team · Not yet medically reviewed
General information based on published sources and the symptoms you searched for. This isn't medical or legal advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Please consult a doctor about your own symptoms. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, seek urgent care.
In everyday conversation, "menopause" is often used for the whole midlife hormonal transition. In clinical medicine and research, menopause refers specifically to the permanent end of menstrual periods — confirmed once you have gone 12 consecutive months without a period (when not using hormonal contraception).
The years leading up to that 12-month mark are called perimenopause, and the years after it are postmenopause. For a side-by-side comparison of the two stages, see Perimenopause vs menopause: what is the difference?.
Guides in this section
- How is menopause confirmed?: When clinicians identify menopause from your cycle history alone and when blood tests are (or are not) used.
- How long do menopause symptoms last?: What clinical guidelines say about vasomotor and genitourinary symptom timelines and why vaginal symptoms behave differently from hot flashes.
- Average age of menopause: 60 years of US survey data, and the factors linked to earlier or later timing.
- 12-month period-free counter: Track the days since your last period on your own device and see when any bleeding needs a doctor's check.
What happens in the body at menopause
As the ovarian reserve of follicles reaches depletion, ovarian production of estradiol and progesterone falls permanently, and menstrual cycling stops. According to NICE guideline NG23, menopause-associated symptoms can affect multiple systems and range from mild to severe over short or long periods:
- Vasomotor symptoms: Hot flashes and night sweats
- Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM): Vaginal dryness, painful sex, and urinary changes such as incontinence
- Sleep and mood: Insomnia, anxiety, and brain fog
- Musculoskeletal and metabolic shifts: Joint and muscle pain and bone mineral density loss
Evidence-graded treatment options
The Menopause Society states that menopausal hormone therapy (HRT) is the most effective treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and prevents bone loss and fracture, with a favorable benefit-risk ratio for healthy women under age 60 or within 10 years of menopause onset. For women who cannot or prefer not to use hormones, proven non-hormonal treatments and evidence-graded lifestyle strategies are available.
When to get help now
Where are you right now?
Still tracking
Not sure if your symptoms fit? Start tracking your daily patterns.
Log and spot your patterns with the symptom checklist →Ready to talk to a doctor
Have an upcoming appointment? Bring structured questions and your history.
Prepare your 10-minute doctor appointment questions →Already on treatment
Evaluating your response or wondering what to adjust next?
Explore evidence-graded treatment and lifestyle options →In this section
Questions people ask
How do I know when I have officially reached menopause?
Natural menopause is confirmed retrospectively once you have gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period (when not using hormonal contraception and with no other medical cause).
What is the difference between perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause?
Perimenopause is the multi-year transition when cycles shift and symptoms begin, ending 12 months after your final period. Menopause marks that final menstrual period (confirmed at 12 months), and every year after that point is postmenopause.
Related pages
References
- Harlow SD, Gass M, Hall JE et al.. Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. Fertility and Sterility (published jointly in several journals), 2012.
- Menopause: identification and management (NG23), Recommendations. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK), 2026.
- The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement Advisory Panel. The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause (The North American Menopause Society, now The Menopause Society), 2022. Funding: Funded by donations to the NAMS Education & Research Fund; the statement reports no commercial support. Individual panel disclosures not yet reviewed..
- Postmenopausal bleeding. NHS (nhs.uk), 2026.
Change log
- : Published menopause stage hub
- : Added link to new average-age-of-menopause guide