How long does menopause last? This is one of the most frequently asked questions about this tricky time of life. Here’s what you can expect at the different stages of menopause, and how to tell when it is over.
What is menopause?
Menopause happens when your menstrual cycle gradually slows down and stops. During the years before your last menstrual period, you experience major hormonal shifts including a decrease in the amount of estrogen your body produces.
There are a number of menopause symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, and many more! More than 80% of women experience bothersome menopause symptoms at some point during their menopause journey. It is also normal for periods to become irregular and heavier before finally stopping.
The years before your final menstrual period when you are already having period changes and symptoms are called perimenopause. Menopause itself can only be diagnosed retrospectively. It happens when you have had your final menstrual period, but you can’t be sure when you have had your final one until you have gone 12 months without a period.
What are the different stages of menopause?
It is useful to be able to describe where you are on your menopause journey. The stages of menopause are:
Premenopause. This means that the hormonal changes of menopause have not yet started. Most people will have regular periods during this time.
Perimenopause. Perimenopause, which literally means ‘around the menopause’, can last for years. This is the time during which hormonal changes begin and most people notice at least some symptoms. Irregular periods are the key sign of this phase. Perimenopause ends when your periods stop and you reach menopause itself.
Menopause. You have reached menopause when it has been 12 months since your last period. The trouble is, it may be difficult to tell for some people, for instance if you are taking hormones to suppress bleeding or if you are taking contraceptives that induce an artificial cycle. In these cases, you will need to stop your hormonal medications at some point and test your blood FSH levels to check.
Postmenopause. Once you pass menopause, you are postmenopausal. While this means that your periods have stopped, many menopause symptoms will continue for several years before gradually easing.
How long will you have menopause symptoms?
Many of us will find the first signs of perimenopause quite subtle, so it is sometimes difficult to put a clear start date on the process.
Likewise, symptoms can gradually ease before disappearing altogether once you pass into menopause, so the exact ‘end date’ is hard to pin down too.
Different durations of symptoms
Menopause experiences are all different. Some will have symptoms for a much shorter period of time, while others will find that they persist for longer.
Often, the most common bothersome symptoms – hot flashes and night sweats – last for seven years on average, though it may be longer. For example, 42% of 60-65 year olds still report hot flashes and night sweats. Fortunately, over 90% describe them as mild.
H4 Racial differences
There are many reasons why menopause experiences are unique – including both genetic and environmental factors, such as your lifestyle choices. For example scientists are beginning to understand that there are racial differences in how long menopause symptoms last.
Research shows that the average duration of menopause symptoms was 6.5 years in non-Hispanic white women, 8.9 years in Latina women, and 10.1 years in Black women. Chinese American and Japanese American women had menopause symptoms for five years on average.
H4 Induced menopause
If you go through menopause due to medical or surgical treatment, your symptoms are likely to start suddenly, be more intense, and be over more quickly. This is due to the sudden withdrawal of estrogen.
H3 Permanent changes
Some changes associated with menopause are lifelong. Changes to the vagina such as dryness are known as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). These are permanent due to ongoing low levels of estrogen. Similarly, changes to skin and hair are long-term.
Thankfully, treatments are available to help. Hormone therapy (HT) is the most effective treatment for many menopause symptoms and is widely available. Speak to your healthcare provider to find out more about your treatment options.
When can you start hormone therapy (HT)?
You can start taking HT at any point in your menopause journey if you are experiencing menopause symptoms that are bothersome to you and feel that they are affecting your quality of life. As long as you and your healthcare provider are comfortable that the benefits outweigh the risks, then you are all set to start.
There are plenty of other treatment options including non-hormonal medications and lifestyle changes that could help if HT is not for you. Your healthcare provider can advise you on these based on your personal symptoms and situation.
Learn more about the different types of HT.
Final word
Menopause is different for everyone. While it is common for the most troublesome symptoms to last for up to about five years after your final menstrual period, some people will find that their symptoms last for a decade or more.
If you find your symptoms troublesome, there are plenty of treatment options available. Speak to your healthcare provider to find out what your options are.
Find out more about menopause on our blog or in our symptoms library.
- Stella, The stages of menopause
- The North American Menopause Society, How will I know I’m in menopause?
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