...to ask if menopause and perimenopause are the same thing?

[TheTecknician]

That's all. I'd never heard of the latter until about a year ago.

Apologies if I'm being an ignorant middle-aged man!

Perimenopause is the run up to menopause and can last for years. You've only reached menopause when periods have stopped for 1 year.

Thankyou demented.

You could have googled that, you know…

@BellissimoGeckosometimes its nice to ask though, I’m sure most things on mumsnet are “googlable”

Pretty much anything that is asked on here could have been googled.

Peri = periods still but in menopause. Menopause = periods have stopped. Thats how I understand it.

Yeah, sure, but this is especially so. What bloke would register for Mumsnet and come along to ask a group of women the meaning of two common words he could easily google? It’s just a bit weird.

People used to talk more about menopausal women which covered perimenopause, menopause and after, but now it seems to be more perimenopausal or in perimenopause for before.

Menopause is a single point in time - the day you get your last ever period. You don't usuallu know it's happened until later because every month you don't know for certain if you'll get a period again next month, or 6 weeks, or whatever. If you have a complete hysterectomy that's instant menopause obviously.

Perimenopause is the several years before and after that point when hormones are all over the place. Peri being the prefix indicating the surroundings of anything (perimeter, perinatal, perineum, peripheral)

Menopause is a YEAR after you had your last period.

Write it down somewhere, or you will forget !
and it is very annoying to get to eight months period free and then have another

@BellissimoGecko I didn't register to come on here and ask this question. I've been on MN for years. And I asked here rather than Google because here is where I first came across the term 'perimenopause'. HTH.

Everyone else, thankyou for the useful replies.

Well, I m like you OP, everything I thought the menopause would be, it was the perimenopause actually

I think this is exactly it. A while back people used to talk about going through the menopause/getting hot flushes during the menopause, etc. I don’t remember the word perimenopause being used back then.

I think most people now know they are not the same thing. But I think perimenopause is what lots of people used to refer to as the menopause.

When my Mum had hers it was called "going through the menopause" or "The Change". So the whole process until your periods stopped was also the menopause or being menopausal. Happening in late forties to late fifties.

I always assumed that being peri meant beginning symptoms but still having regular periods. Happening in early to late forties.

Now, I've found it's mostly used to describe the former not the latter so I get while you're confused!

So after your periods have stopped for a year and you’ve ‘reached menopause’ are you then menopausal / in menopause? And if so, for how long? For ever??

My mum told me its forever but I don't believe her because some people I've spoken too have said there symptoms have stopped. Maybe everyone is different would be good to know though.

Yep. That’s my understanding.

I mean, I could Google it, I guess. But yes.

Are you not post menopausal once you've reached menopause and not had a period for over 1 year?

So perimenopause beforehand, menopause reached 1 year after periods stop and then move to post menopausal

Menopause champion here lol!

Perimenopause = the period of time when you start experiencing symptoms associated with your changing hormone levels. Can last up to 10 years.

Menopause = lasts a single day. This is when you have not had a period for 12 months.

Postmenopause = the time following menopause.

Please can someone tell me what HTH means? Thank you

Hope that helps.
HTH.

Ah thanks

The wicked thing is that you never know it is your last period… which is why it’s absence for a year. there’s evidence of starting but not finishing. Girls used to say have you started yet? But I’ve not heard amy women ever say have you finished yet.

I’ve had the same discussion with my doctor this week when they keep wanting to check my FSH levels (follicle-stimulating hormone). It won’t be high as I’m not in menopause. But I do know I’m in perimenopause because of symptoms.