So much is said about the earlier stages of menopause because visible symptoms caused by decreasing estrogen levels interfere with a woman’s daily life, sometimes so severely that the symptoms are debilitating. As the obvious physical symptoms of menopause subside, many women are blindsided by silent factors that can threaten their quality of life after menopause.

Over a woman’s lifetime, her estrogen levels fluctuate, reflecting the stages of life she goes through. Her estrogen levels begin to rise as she enters puberty, then rhythmically increase and decrease through monthly menstrual cycles during her child bearing years. Her estrogen levels are at their highest during pregnancy.

Midlife brings on changes and three distinct phases: perimenopause, menopause and post menopause.

Starting as early as age 35, Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause. A woman’s menstrual cycle starts to become irregular in flow and cycle length. Declining estrogen levels begin to produce the physical symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, irritability, depression, anxiety and sleeplessness.

Menopause literally means the last monthly period in a woman’s life. It is confirmed only after a woman has missed twelve menstrual periods in a row. The gradual decrease in the ovaries’ production of estrogen during this time is simply the body’s natural evolution from the fertile child-bearing years to a whole new stage of life. The average age for menopause in Canada is 51, but it can occur anytime between 45 and 55 for most women.

Post menopause is the stage of a woman’s life after menopause. The visible symptoms of menopause will subside. However, the invisible effects of menopause will remain, presenting new health challenges that must be addressed to maintain health and well being through this very long phase in a woman’s life.

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