Most of us use "menopause" to describe years of symptoms.  But technically, menopause is a single moment: your very last period.  The catch is that you can only know it was your last once you've gone 12 months without another one.

The Australasian Menopause Society defines it like this:

🌸 Perimenopause "refers to the time from when changes in menstrual cycle (missed periods or changes in amount of bleeding) or menopausal symptoms start to one year after the last menstrual period.  It usually starts in a woman's 40's and lasts an average of 4-6 years."

🌸 Menopause "is the final menstrual period and is said to have occurred when there have been no menstrual periods for one year.  The average age of menopause in Australian women is 51 years (range 45-55 years).

🌸 Post-menopause "starts at the final menstrual period and is diagnosed retrospectively 12 months after the last period."

Honestly, I find these definitions a little confusing myself, which is why I turned them into a picture.  I think of it as a hill (see the image). You climb through perimenopause, menopause is the very top, and you only know you've passed it once you've walked a year down the other side.

So what's happening with hormones?  In perimenopause, your ovaries are winding down.  Ovulation becomes less regular, and because progesterone is mostly made after you ovulate, it often dips first.  Oestrogen swings up and down (sometimes higher than before) and then gradually declines. Meanwhile, your brain turns up follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to try to keep the ovaries going.  Those swings are why symptoms can come and go from month to month.

And why do the changes feel so wide-ranging?  Oestrogen and progesterone receptors are found right through your body: brain, bones, heart and blood vessels, skin, bladder and vaginal tissue, muscles, joints, gut and fat tissue.  So when hormones shift, you might notice it in your temperature control (hello, hot flushes), sleep, mood and memory, bone strength, heart health, where your body stores fat, your skin, and bladder and vaginal comfort.

Why does this matter? Because so many women are told "you're too young for menopause" while they're in the thick of perimenopause.  Knowing where you are makes it easier to understand your body and have better conversations with your GP.

I'm in perimenopause myself, and it's a big part of why I'm launching MenoCraft Health Coaching.   More on that soon! 💛

Where are you on the hill?  Tell me in the comments.

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