Stages of Menopause
Feature | Early Menopausal Transition | Late Menopausal Transition | Early Postmenopause | Late Postmenopause | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duration | Variable | 1–3 years | 2 years | 3–6 years | Remaining lifespan |
Menstrual cycle | Variable length (a persistent difference of ≥ 7 days in the length of consecutive cycles) | Interval of amenorrhea that lasts ≥ 60 days | — Postmenopause begins after the final menstrual period | — | — |
FSH level on cycle days 2–5 | High but variable | High (> 25 IU/L)† | High but variable | Stabilizes at a high level* | — |
Symptoms | — | Vasomotor symptoms likely to occur | Vasomotor symptoms most likely to occur | — | Increasing symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause |
* FSH levels fluctuate and increase overall until about 2 years after the last menstrual period, then stabilize. † Variable depending on lab; some labs list as High (> 30 IU/L). | |||||
FSH = follicle-stimulating hormone. | |||||
Adapted from Harlow SD, Gass M, Hall JE, et al: For the STRAW 10 Collaborative Group: Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: Addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. Menopause 19 (4):387–395, 2012. doi:10.1210/jc.2011-3362 | |||||