PREPARING FOR MENOPAUSE
A WOMAN'S MIDLIFE CHANGE
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,
12 Healthy Living | Summer Issue | 2018
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.
Along with unpredictable
periods, a woman may have