9-15
16-30
31-42
Early transition
Late transition
51
50s
Age*
40s
late 40s,
and
early 50s
beyond
Menstrual
Variable
Regular
Regular
Lengths of cycles
2 or more
No
No
Cycles
vary increasingly skipped periods
period**
periods
Signs and
Fertility
Hot flashes,
Same as
Vaginal dryness,
Symptoms
progressively
irritability,
previous
bone loss. Hot flashes
declining
and sleep
can persist. For a few
disturbance.
women, hot flashes
Bone loss
continue into their
begins.
60s and 70s.
*These are average ages. Women vary a great deal in the age at which they go through each of these stages.
**Menopause is said to have occurred after twelve months without a period.
Copyright © 2007 by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 1209 Montgomery Highway, Birmingham, AL 35216.
are going, or what’s coming next. In fact, hormone), another hormone that changes
you won’t realize you have reached your
at this time. But, levels of both estrogen and destination (menopause) until you are past FSH normally go up and down during your
it and see it in your rearview mirror.
menstrual cycle. So, these test results alone The average age of menopause is 51.
cannot be used to predict or confirm
That means that almost half of all women
menopause.
have their last period and reach menopause Levels of two other female hormones,
before that age, and some women may not
progesterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), have even started perimenopause yet.
also rise and fall during your menstrual cycle.
It’s not easy to know when you are in
Progesterone levels drop after menopause, the menopausal transition. Menopausal
and LH levels go up (see chart on page 5).
symptoms, along with a physical examination, Even though your monthly periods are
medical history, and maybe some blood
not regular anymore, you can get pregnant tests, may provide useful clues. But, it is not during the menopausal transition. In fact, possible to correctly predict when a woman’s the irregular periods common in menopause final period will be. Your doctor could test make it harder to predict when an ovary is the amount of estrogen in your blood or
releasing an egg, the time when sexual inter-the level of FSH (follicle-stimulating
course is most likely to result in a pregnancy.
4
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O M E N O P A U S E
Do not assume that a couple of missed