When menopause arrives

Menopause covers the period before and after the last menstrual period, and begins in the mid-forties. For most women, the last menstrual period occurs between the ages of 49 and 55. Medicine speaks of different phases ¹ , with transitions taking place differently from one woman to another:

- Pre-menopause

- Perimenopause, including menopause

- Post-menopause

The premenopause represents the entire fertile phase before the onset of menopause. Towards the end of this phase, at an average age of 40 to 45, the function of the ovaries begins to decline. Initially, it is mainly progesterone that decreases in the blood, while estrogen levels remain constant. During this phase, women suffer mainly from premenstrual disorders, such as breast pain or mood swings. The first irregularities in the cycle may also appear. Menopause is on the horizon.

Perimenopause begins between the ages of 45 and 50. During this phase, progesterone formation and estrogen production decline. Progesterone deficiency leads to irregular monthly cycles. Sleep disturbances and irritability are more frequent. Especially if, in the second half of the perimenopause, hormone production continues to decline. The greater the drop in estrogen, the more frequent the typical menopausal symptoms.

The perimenopausal phase begins around 4 years before menopause and lasts until around 1 year afterwards.
Menopause therefore occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, on average at the age of 51. ³ The menopause marks the moment when the ovarian reserve is completely exhausted, and thus signifies the last menstrual periods controlled by the ovary. If we want to calculate this moment precisely, menopause has begun when, retroactively, there has been no more bleeding for 12 consecutive months.

Menopause marks the beginning of the third phase. Indeed, even after menopause, the body still needs an average of 2 to 5 years to adapt to the drop in hormone levels. By the age of around 51, half of all women have reached postmenopause ⁵. Estrogen and progesterone production is very low.

It's precisely at the start of the post-menopause that many women experience typical menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. Other consequences of estrogen deficiency are often added, such as vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence or pain during intercourse. Rarely, long-term disorders such as osteopenia (early stage of bone loss) or osteoporosis (bone loss) may occur.