You are post-menopausal as soon as you've had your last period ie the last period sets the date of your menopause. However you only know this in retrospect - because you have to have gone a year without periods to be able to say, that for most women, this was the last one.
By the way you have to go only one year without periods before you are classed as having been post-menopausal for one year. The one year/two year thing relates to contraception. Under 50 you have to use contraception for 2 years following last period. I imagine this discrepancy errs on the side of caution for both areas - ie to avoid unwanted pregnancies in under 50's, and to make sure that any abnormal bleeding ( following one year without periods) is always investigated in any woman.
Clear as mud?!
daisie - for your doctor to say you are menopausal is not especially helpful in your position. As honorsmum says this is the term used by many docs for the time period leading up to menopause! 59 is very late to still be having natural periods. How often are you having them - eg over the past couple of years? Even though you are not offocially post-menopause yet ( because of your bleeding), because of your age I would want the doctor to investigate my womb lining just to check that there is nothing amiss.
I presume you are not on HRT/the pill/Mirena coil?
Hurdity x
