What is the menopause?

The menopause is categorised as the time when a woman has not had a period for over a year due to lower hormone levels. However this is now seen as a rather narrow description that does not encompass the 3 distinct stages that are now widely recognised and these are:

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• Peri-menopause: This is the period preceeding menopause and can start as early as your 30's, but most commonly seen in women in their 40's and it is not easily diagnosable. The most easily recognisable symptom, if you are not on hormone contraception, is the irregularity of periods and their heaviness. There is a slew of other symptoms that can be attributed to this stage but it is not always obvious the cause. The severity and amount of symptoms will vary woman by woman. Symptoms include; Hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings,  insomnia and sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, lower libido, brain fog, heart palpitations, increased anxiety and weight gain. If you want to confirm whether you are in peri-menopause the best indicator is to have a blood tests to measure hormone levels, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol. Your doctor may do it or you may need to pay for this privately.

It is estimated there are 13 million perimenopausal or menopausal women in the UK, equating to around one-third of the entire female population.

• Menopause: This is when your periods have stopped. This usually happen naturally as we age, but for some it occurs due to surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy), cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or down to genetics. The symptoms described in the peri-menopause are the same you may also see in menopause, a study by the SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation) organisation found the most common time for symptoms to occur is the late perimenopause stage.

• Post menopause: This is the time after menopause, when a woman hasn't experienced a period for over a year. This stage is often seen to last 3-5 years and then symptoms of the menopause cease. Unfortunately woman who are post menopausal are re at an increased risk for several conditions: Cardiovascular disease, Osteoporosis, Vaginal atrophy. However there are some benefits such as no more symptoms from periods and as hormones settle, mood swings decrease.

“The reduction in hormonal fluctuations can lead to a more stable mood and emotional wellbeing for some,” Mosconi says.