What experts are saying about when menopause starts and how long it lasts

Dr. Gunter states that menopause officially starts one year after the final menstrual period, so the diagnosis is made in retrospect. She describes the time leading up to menopause as the menopause transition, also called perimenopause. She notes that by the time periods are 60 days apart, the final period is likely less than three years away, as she presents it. She lists transition features including menstrual changes, hot flashes/flushes, and sleep disturbance.

Dr. Brighten defines menopause as 12 consecutive months without a period and describes the next day as postmenopause. She states that perimenopausal symptoms can occur seven to ten years before menopause, as she presents the timeline. She gives an average age of menopause in the United States of about 51 in this episode. She describes several phases of perimenopause based on cycle and symptom changes.

Dr. Haver discusses perimenopause as the years before the last menstrual period and menopause in relation to declining ovarian function. Episode summaries of her discussion list an average menopause age around 51-52 and a typical range discussed in the episode. She describes hormone fluctuations during perimenopause before hormone levels decline. She also discusses early menopause and ovarian insufficiency definitions in the episode.

Dr. Attia describes menopause as diagnosed retrospectively after 12 months without a period, without another obvious cause. He discusses FSH and, to a lesser extent, LH and estradiol in evaluating the approach to menopause. The show notes state that symptoms can occur before the 12-month point is reached. The episode frames timing discussion alongside hormone therapy considerations.

Dr. Malone discusses starting hormone treatment around menopause or within 10 years of the last period as a timing topic raised in the interview. She states that hot flashes can begin in perimenopause and continue for a variable period after the last period. She describes individual journeys as differing while sharing common patterns, as she presents it. The interview also covers forms of estrogen and vaginal estrogen.

The episode page describes Dr. Casperson discussing perimenopause and postmenopause and a lack of education about these stages, as summarized by the program. She discusses hormone therapy topics and the history of fear around hormones following the 2002 Women's Health Initiative, as presented in the episode summary. She discusses individualized hormone decisions in the conversation. This source focuses more on hormone education than on a specific age timeline.