During midlife, a woman’s menstrual periods grow further and further apart. At some point, they stop completely, and she can no longer get pregnant.
This is because the ovaries aren’t releasing eggs and making hormones like estrogen anymore. After 12 months without a period, a woman can say she’s gone through menopause.
In the years before menopause, women may experience skipped and unpredictable menstrual periods. This phase is called the midlife transition, perimenopause, or the change of life. Some women go through the transition faster than others. It lasts between 1 and 10 years.
Midlife Transition
Typically, menopause occurs between ages 45 and 55. This means women can expect less frequent periods and other symptoms at some point during their 40s. But it’s different for every woman. There’s no lab test to predict when in life it will start or how easy it will be….