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[rubyring]

Hello everyone

Sorry to sound daft but,
When does peri menopause become post menopause? I am 52 & have had a microwave ablation so don't have periods but am on vagifem to help with vaginal symptoms. My hot flushes seem to be calming down a it but I'm confused with the transition between pre and post. Hope you ladies can help as just want to get over this phase as have read that ladies feel much better after the peri bit of menopause has passed. ps have been peri menopausal for 2 years ( had blood test to confirm this) but am I now post?

[CLKD]

I was lucky in that peri blurred into what was happening in my Life.  Fortunately too, not many hot flushes and those were short each evening.

Does Vagifem help your symptoms?

I think I'm lucky in that peri is now blurring into feeling generally OK.  Have you browsed the menus, left of screen?

[Hurdity]

Hi rubyring

Menopause is officially the date of your last period which you can only determine in retrospect - because it is only considered to be your last if you then go 12 months without one.  However some women will have another period beyond the 12 months, but it's set at this date to ensure that anyone who bleeds after 12 months without a period is referred for investigation into post-menopausal bleeding.

If you have anything that prevents you knowing when your last period is then it's impossible to tell exactly. For example women who start HRT (like I did) before they have reached menopause  won't know when that would have been. Similarly if you have a Mirena coil which stops periods or as you have done, an ablation.

Most women are also assumed to have reached menopause by age 54 - which again is only an percentage ( not sure exactly - I seem to re-call 80% but may be wrong there) so some will reach menopause older than this.

In gyanecological terms the 2 years following the last period is sometimes referred to as late peri-menopause (because "peri" means around so it is the strecth of time around menopause - both before and afterwards). This is because oestrogen levels continue to fall approx 2 years following the last period after which they remain at a stable low level and you are post-menopausal.

To anser your question - you don't know if you are post-menopausal and won't  know exactly but safe to assume that this is most likely after age 54.

Hope this helps!

Hurdity  x

[rubyring]

Hello again, thanks for your replies.
CLKD yes the vagifem is helping and I too hope that my symptoms will slowly fade away and I start to feel more 'normal' 
And thank you for your info Hurdity, hopefully I'm through the worst of it now and things will improve.  It's such a whirlwind isn't it?
I'm always reading posts on here, & I can't thank you all enough for helping me feel less alone with my menopause x