What exactly is menopause and when does it start?
Menopause is like crossing a finish line. Or flipping a switch. It is a point in time. We go from having regular periods (cycling) to irregular periods with symptoms (perimenopause). In Canada, the average age of menopause is 51.
You’ve officially reached menopause 12 consecutive months after your last period. Phew. Every day after is post-menopause.
With over 30 symptoms each journey is unique, like a fingerprint. And like puberty, it has its own timeline and degree of difficulty. Some will skate through without feeling much. Others will be a hot mess. For some, it will last a few months. Others, years. You won’t know exactly at what age these menopause disruptions will arrive, but you can learn what to look out for.
What exactly is menopause and when does it start?
Menopause is like crossing a finish line. Or flipping a switch. It is a point in time. We go from having regular periods (cycling) to irregular periods with symptoms (perimenopause). In Canada, the average age of menopause is 51.
You’ve officially reached menopause 12 consecutive months after your last period. Phew. Every day after is post-menopause.
With over 30 symptoms each journey is unique, like a fingerprint. And like puberty, it has its own timeline and degree of difficulty. Some will skate through without feeling much. Others will be a hot mess. For some, it will last a few months. Others, years. You won’t know exactly at what age these menopause disruptions will arrive, but you can learn what to look out for.
Typical Symptoms
Typical Symptoms
- changes in period
- longer or shorter
- heavier or lighter
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- sleep disturbances
- mood change
- irritability
- depression
- mood swings
- vaginal dryness
- weight gain
- brain fog
- difficulty remembering
- longer or shorter
- heavier or lighter
- irritability
- depression
- mood swings
PERIMENOPAUSE
Average Age Range
late 30s to early 50s
How Long it Lasts
4 to 8 years on average, some continue for several more years
Treatment Options
- lifestyle changes
- nutrition
- exercise
- meditation
- supplements
- HRT
Typical Symptoms
Typical Symptoms
- changes in period
- longer or shorter
- heavier or lighter
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- sleep disturbances
- mood change
- irritability
- depression
- mood swings
- vaginal dryness
- weight gain
- brain fog
- difficulty remembering
- longer or shorter
- heavier or lighter
- irritability
- depression
- mood swings
MENOPAUSE
(a one day event)
we reach menopause 12 months after our last period, with an average age of 51
we reach menopause 12 months after our last period
MENOPAUSE
(a one day event)
we reach menopause 12 months after our last period
we reach menopause 12 months after our last period
POST–MENOPAUSE
Average Age Range
late 40s to 60s
How Long it Lasts
you are in post-menopause for the rest of your life
Treatment Options
- lifestyle changes
- nutrition
- exercise
- meditation
- supplements
- limited options for HRT 10 years post menopause or after 60 years old
Risk
decrease in estrogen can increase risk for heart disease and osteoporosis, and we need to protect bone, brain, vaginal, bladder and heart health
Typical Symptoms
Typical Symptoms
any perimenopause symptoms +
- dryer eyes, mouth, hair and skin
- vaginal issues
- atrophy
- vulva/vaginal dryness
- pelvic organ prolaps
- pain with penetrative sex
- low sexual desire
- incontinence
- UTI
- atrophy
- vulva/vaginal dryness
Typical Symptoms
Typical Symptoms
any perimenopause symptoms +
- dryer eyes, mouth, hair and skin
- vaginal issues
- atrophy
- vulva and vaginal dryness
- pelvic organ prolaps
- pain with penetrative sex
- low sexual desire
- incontinence
- UTI
- atrophy
- vulva and vaginal dryness
Menopausal Journey Symptoms
95% of women experience menopause after the age of 45. What are the symptoms? It’s different for everyone. Many are often overlooked or dismissed. Here are the most common ones to look out for – click on a symptom to read more.
You can also read more about symptoms and ways to treat them in our blog Help a Sister Out.
Menopausal Journey Symptoms
95% of women experience menopause after the age of 45. What are the symptoms? It’s different for everyone. Many are often overlooked or dismissed. Here are the most common ones to look out for – hover your curser over a symptom to read more.
You can also read more about symptoms and ways to treat them in our blog Help a Sister Out.

Breast Tenderness
Breast Tenderness
Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone during perimenopause can cause breast tenderness, burning, sharp or throbbing pain.

Vaginal Dryness
Vaginal Dryness
A decline in estradiol (a type of estrogen) causes the tissues of the vagina to shrink and become thinner causing dryness and inflammation.

Night Sweats
Night Sweats
Night sweats are hot flashes at night which can cause you to wake in a pool of sweat, and interfere with sleep. Sleep disturbance can contribute to irritability and fatigue.

Trouble Sleeping
Trouble Sleeping
Disrupted sleep can be caused by being woken up drenched from night sweats. Some simply wake too early and cannot fall back asleep contributing to irritability and fatigue.

Itchy Skin
Itchy Skin
Collagen helps maintain the strength and elasticity of the skin. And estrogen stimulates the production of collagen. Reduced estrogen during post-menopause can cause the skin to become drier and thinner, making it feel itchy.

Difficulty Concentrating
Difficulty Concentrating
Difficulty concentrating is a typical symptom during perimenopause and often coupled with short-term memory problems. What was I saying again?

Moody/Irritable
Moody/Irritable
Most common during perimenopause when hormone levels are fluctuating. Changes happening can be stressful and cause mood swings (laughing one minute and crying the next) and can be heightened from disrupted sleep.

Painful Sex
Painful Sex
Vaginal atrophy (the drying and thinning of vaginal tissue) can cause vaginal dryness and irritation, making sexual intercourse unpleasant or painful. Sometimes impossible.

Brain Fog
Brain Fog
With the depletion of estradiol, an ovarian hormone, memory performance and the regulation of memory function change as a result explaining brain fog and losing your train of thought.

Low Libido
Low Libido
Decrease in estrogen, age-related changes in circulation that may reduce blood flow to the genitals and cause decrease sensation, vaginal dryness or thinning that can make sex painful, and interrupted sleep that can make you too tired – all contribute to a decreased sex drive.

Dry Skin
Dry Skin
Decreased levels of estrogen result in thinning skin making it drier and less resilient. Collagen which also helps with skin resilience and elasticity declines by 30% during the first 5 years of menopause.

Hot Flashes
Hot flashes
Hot flashes (aka vasomotor symptoms) are very common. A sudden wave of heat, sweating, reddening of the skin and rapid heartbeat can last 1-5 minutes, and is often followed by a cold chill.

Fatigue
Fatigue
Low sleep quality as a result of night sweats or hormonal fluctuations can be a distressing and sometimes debilitating menopause symptom. #ineedanap

Headache
Headache
Headaches or migraines may be more frequent during perimenopause as a result of a dip in estrogen. This can be similar if you experience headaches before a period.

Thinning Hair
Thinning hair
Hair loss can occur as a result of ovarian hormonal fluctuations. These ups and downs can cause hair follicles to shrink, meaning hair grows slower and sheds easier.

Brittle Nails
Brittle Nails
A reduction in keratin production during the menopause transition and post-menopause can lead to brittle, weak nails that can break easily or crack.