Menopause classification
|
Menopause Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Menopause classification On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Menopause classification |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Menopause classification |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Menopause does not occur suddenly, but it passes through stages until it reaches the total and permanent cessation of the cycle
Perimenopause means the menopause transition years, the years both before and after the last period ever, when the majority of women find that they undergo at least some symptoms of hormonal change and fluctuation, such as hot flashes, mood changes, insomnia, fatigue, irregular menses, etc.
During perimenopause, the production of most of the reproductive hormones, including estrogens and progestin, diminishes and becomes more irregular, often with wide and unpredictable fluctuations in levels. During this period, fertility diminishes.
Symptoms of perimenopause can begin as early as age 35, although most women become aware of them about 10 years later than this. Perimenopause can last for a few years, or for ten years or even longer. In this respect it resembles puberty, a similar process that surrounds menarche. In fact menopause can usefully be compared to "puberty in reverse", and the psychological adjustments that take place over this time span can be compared to adolescence. The actual duration and severity of perimenopause in any individual woman cannot be predicted in advance or during the process.
Not every woman suffers symptoms during perimenopause. Approximately one third of all women get no noticeable symptoms other than their periods becoming erratic and then stopping. Another one third of women have moderate symptoms. The remaining one third of women have very strong symptoms which tend to have a longer duration. The tendency to have a very strong perimenopause may be inherited in some cases.
One piece of recent research appears to show that melatonin supplementation in perimenopausal women can produce a highly significant improvement in thyroid function and gonadotropin levels, as well as restoring fertility and menstruation and preventing the depression associated with the menopause[1].
Premenopause
Premenopause is a word used to describe the years leading up to the last period ever, when the levels of reproductive hormones are already becoming lower and more erratic, and symptoms of hormone withdrawal may be present.
Postmenopause
Postmenopause is all of the time in a woman's life that take place after her last period ever, or more accurately, all of the time that follows the point when her ovaries become inactive.
A woman who still has her uterus can be declared to be in post-menopause once she has gone 12 full months with no flow at all, not even any spotting. When she reaches that point, she is one year into post-menopause. The reason for this delay in declaring a woman post-menopausal is because periods become very erratic at this time of life, and therefore a reasonably long stretch of time is necessary to be sure that the cycling has actually ceased.
In women who have no uterus, and therefore have no periods, post-menopause can be determined by a blood test which can reveal the very high levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) that are typical of post-menopausal women.
A woman's reproductive hormone levels continue to drop and fluctuate for some time into post-menopause, so any hormone withdrawal symptoms that a woman maybe experiencing do not necessarily stop right away, but may take quite some time, even several years, to disappear completely.
References
- ↑ Bellipanni G, DI Marzo F, Blasi F, et al. Effects of melatonin in perimenopausal and menopausal women: our personal experience. 2005. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1057:393-402. DOI: 10.1196/annals.1356.030 PMID 16399909