Menopause is your final menstrual period. You know you've reached menopause if you have not had your period for 12 months. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 years.
There can be several causes of postmenopausal bleeding. The most common causes are: inflammation and thinning of the vaginal lining (atrophic vaginitis) or womb lining (endometrial atrophy) – caused by lower oestrogen levels. cervical or womb polyps – growths that are usually non-cancerous.
There is no set age when menopause should start, but according to the Australasian Menopause Society the average age is 51. If a woman is 55 or older and still hasn't begun menopause, it is considered late-onset menopause. Menopause that occurs before age 40 is called premature.
The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts about seven years but can be as long as 14 years. The duration can depend on lifestyle factors such as smoking, age it begins, and race and ethnicity.
Every woman – except for those who've had their ovaries removed before puberty – will go through menopause.
Women in North America will likely experience natural menopause between ages 40 and 58, averaging around age 51. Some women, however, reach this phase in their 30s, others in their 60s. Typically, women reach menopause around the same age as their mothers and sisters.
The most common causes of bleeding or spotting after menopause include: Endometrial or vaginal atrophy (lining of the uterus or vagina becomes thin and dry). Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (estrogen and progesterone supplements that decrease some menopausal symptoms).
Periods will usually start to become less frequent over a few months or years before they stop altogether. They might be more irregular and become heavier or lighter. For some women, they can stop suddenly. Postmenopause is the time after a woman experiences her last period.
Late Stage. The late stages of perimenopause usually occur when a woman is in her late 40s or early 50s. In the late stages of the menopausal transition, women begin missing periods until they finally stop. About 6 months before menopause, estrogen levels drop significantly.
You may think you have reached menopause if you have not had a period for a few months. However, it is still possible to have a period up to a year after your last one. After 12 months without a period, any bleeding at all is not normal. Up to 1 in 10 women experience bleeding or spotting after their menopause.
However, a Mayo Clinic study found that many women experience hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood changes and other menopause symptoms beyond mid-life and into their 60s, 70s and even their 80s.
Most women reach menopause, on average, by age 51 or 52. However, this is an average and ages vary. Some women experience delayed menopause in their late 50s or early 60s. Timing varies due to genetics, lifestyle, menstrual cycle patterns, and medications.
"Postmenopausal women often eat as many calories as when they were younger, as they have long-standing habits that are harder to break," says Julie Upton, M.S., RD, C.S.S.D. "If post-menopausal women cut back on calories and up the intensity of their exercise, they lose weight and tone up, just like younger women.
As women age, their milk systems shrink and are replaced by fat. By menopause, most women's breasts are completely soft. This can make normal lumps more noticeable. Sometimes women find their breasts feel different when they lose or gain weight and sometimes breasts change for no obvious reason.
For most girls, their first menstrual period, or menarche (say: MEH-nar-kee), begins about 2 years after she first starts to get breasts. For most girls this is around age 12. But it can be as early as age 8 or as late as 15.
In most cases, postmenopausal bleeding is caused by issues such as endometrial atrophy (a thinning of the uterine lining), vaginal atrophy, fibroids, or endometrial polyps. The bleeding could also be a sign of endometrial cancer—a malignancy of the uterine lining, but only in a small number of cases.
Not all women who go through menopause have hot flashes, and it's not clear why some women do have them. Factors that may increase your risk include: Smoking. Women who smoke are more likely to get hot flashes.
For most women, this transition to menopause lasts about four years. You will know you have reached menopause only after it has been a full year since your last period. This means you have not had any bleeding, including spotting, for 12 months in a row.
What causes menopause weight gain? The decrease in estrogen and progesterone, along with aging in general, triggers metabolic changes in the body. One change is a decrease in muscle mass, resulting in fewer calories being burned. If fewer calories are being burned, fat accumulates.