The
whole menopause transition varies from woman to woman. Depending on this it can
be divided into four main stages-
Premenopause - This refers to entire normal reproductive period of a woman's
life from the time of the first menstruation cycle to the last regular
menstrual period.
Perimenopause - This refers to the transition phase when a woman passes
from regular periods to irregular periods and happens for a few months or years
before attaining full stoppage of menstruation. It is usually experienced by
women from 35-50 years of age. During this stage there are hormone fluctuations
and causes the typical menopause symptoms such as hot flashes.
Menopause - This refers to a stage when the women's reproductive life
comes to an end and a woman can no longer get pregnant naturally. At this point
the ovaries stop producing eggs and the menstruation cycle stops permanently.
The two reproductive hormones - estrogen and progesterone production decreases
permanently to low levels.
Postmenopause – This refers to the period in a women's life after one
year from the time of the last menstrual cycle. From here a woman will be
postmenopausal for the rest of her life.