Perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause — three terms, one timeline

These three words describe one timeline, but different things on it.

Menopause is a point: the last period of your life. It has one surprising property — it is recognised only in hindsight. No one knows "I am having my menopause today"; it becomes known only once 12 consecutive months have passed after some period with no bleeding at all (and there is no other explanation for the gap, such as the effect of medicines). Then that period turns out to have been the last. Most often this happens between 45 and 55 — but age settles nothing by itself.

Perimenopause is the period of transitional change around that point — usually several years, of different length for every woman. The first noticeable signal is most often (though not always) a change in the rhythm of periods: they become less frequent, closer together, different from usual; in some women they stop suddenly, without "warning". Other complaints can appear in this time too — we devote separate articles to them.

Postmenopause is the whole of life after menopause — the time that begins after those 12 months without a period. It is not "the end of the subject": a separate article covers health in those years.

Why know these terms? For two practical reasons. First, they make conversations easier — "I think I'm in perimenopause, my periods have become irregular" tells a doctor more than a general "something is happening". Second, they mark one important safety line: if 12 months or more have passed since your last period, report any bleeding or spotting to a doctor — book an appointment at the earliest available date, including after one small episode. And if the complaints of the transition years are making your life harder — that too is a topic for an appointment, without waiting for it to pass.

Sources: [1] WHO — Menopause (fact sheet); [2] NHS inform — Menopause.