Menopause vs. Postmenopause — What's the Difference?

Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause typically occurs between 49 and 52 years of age.

The period in which menopause no longer occurs; often defined as the first full year in which no menstruation occurs.

The permanent cessation of menstruation, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 55.

The period during which such cessation occurs. In both sense, also called climacteric.

The period in a woman's life when menstruation becomes irregular and less frequent before eventually stopping altogether, usually accompanied by a range of unpleasant symptoms; the period spanning perimenopause up to postmenopause.

The final menstrual period of a woman after which ovulation no longer occurs.

The period of natural cessation of menstruation. See Change of life, under Change.

The time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends