Does spotting count as a period?

[Onthemoooove]

I've not had a period or any bleeding for nearly 3 months and the periods I have had recently have been extremely light so have been getting hopeful the end is in sight. However, 4 days ago I had a tiny bit of brown spotting, then a tiny bit of fresher spotting yesterday. Seems to have stopped now. Does this count as a period in terms of determining when I'm in menopause? Same thing happened earlier this year. Prior to this I'd never skipped a period and would have one every 3-5 weeks without fail. Just wondering if I need to go back to the start line & wait until I've gone 12 months with no bleeding whatsoever, spotting or otherwise.

Thanks!

Yes, any kind of spotting counts as a period and resets the clock, unfortunately. I'm going through the same thing right now. Last proper period in March, but a couple of instances of faint spotting since then. You need a fully clear 12 months before it counts as full meno.