Menopause can happen naturally or may occur due to the effects of surgery or chemotherapy. Perimenopause refers to the timeframe of the transition to menopause, while postmenopause is the time after your final menstrual period.

Menopause is the point in a person’s life where menstrual periods stop permanently, meaning that pregnancy is no longer possible. For many people, menopause is a natural part of aging.

We tend to categorize menopause as just one thing. However, there are actually a few different types of menopause.

Continue reading to learn more about the different types of menopause, including natural menopause, perimenopause, premature menopause, and postmenopause.

Most people experience natural menopause. Natural menopause is a normal part of aging.

You’re considered to be in menopause when you haven’t had any menstrual bleeding, including spotting, for 12 months straight. The average age of menopause in the United States is 52.

On a basic level, natural menopause happens as the supply of ovarian follicles dwindle. Ovarian follicles are the fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries containing eggs. The number of ovarian follicles you have decreases naturally during your lifetime.

The decrease in ovarian follicles is coupled with hormonal changes, such as decreases in estrogen and progesterone. Eventually, these natural changes will cause your period to stop permanently, and you’ll enter menopause.

Perimenopause is the period of time when your body is transitioning into menopause. Due to this, you may see perimenopause referred to as the menopausal transition.

Perimenopause typically starts between the ages of 45 and 55 but can happen earlier. Once perimenopause starts, it’s typically several years before you reach menopause. The median duration of perimenopause is 4 years.

Remember the decrease in ovarian follicles and reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone that we mentioned above? Those changes don’t happen at once. They’re actually gradual, taking place during perimenopause.

When we talk about menopause symptoms, we’re often actually referring to perimenopause symptoms.

As you experience the natural changes that lead to menopause, you can also start to experience a variety of symptoms, such as:

Some women may experience menopause earlier than is typical. When menopause happens before the age of 40, it’s called premature menopause. Surgery and chemotherapy are common causes of premature menopause.

Surgical removal of both ovaries through a bilateral oophorectomy causes you to enter menopause. As such, you can have symptoms associated with the menopausal transition, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

Early removal of both ovaries is typically done as part of the treatment of gynecological cancers like ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and cervical cancer. It may also be done if you have genetic changes, such as those in the BRCA gene, that increase your risk of ovarian cancer.

Having just one ovary removed, called a unilateral oophorectomy, won’t immediately lead to menopause. However, this type of surgery has been associated with entering menopause at a younger age.

Additionally, other types of cancer treatment can affect the function of your ovaries, leading to premature menopause. According to the American Cancer Society, these treatments include certain types of:

Will this premature menopause go away after surgery or chemotherapy is done?

If you’ve had your ovaries removed through a bilateral oophorectomy, menopause is permanent.

Chemotherapy may cause your period to stop temporarily, called amenorrhea. However, in some situations, chemotherapy can lead to premature menopause.

A 2015 study looked at chemotherapy-induced menopause in women with breast cancer who were aged 45 or younger. An older age at breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a higher risk of menopause after chemotherapy.

Some types of hormone therapy for breast cancer that temporarily suppress the function of your ovaries may also cause your period to stop during treatment.

Postmenopause refers to the time after your period has permanently stopped. At this time, your ovaries make very low levels of hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

This decrease in hormone levels can increase the risk for some health conditions tied to estrogen. For example, people in the postmenopause period are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Some may find that the symptoms they experienced during the menopausal transition improve after menopause. However, vaginal dryness often persists after menopause.

Additionally, vasomotor symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, may continue postmenopause. Researchers have found that this is most common in the first 2 years after your period stops but may last 10 years or longer.

Menopause is the time when you haven’t had a menstrual period for 12 months straight. It can occur naturally or happen prematurely due to things like surgery or chemotherapy.

Perimenopause is the time prior to menopause, during which your periods start to be more irregular, and levels of hormones like estrogen drop. During this time, you may have vasomotor symptoms, mood changes, and disrupted sleep.

After your final period, you enter postmenopause. During this time, vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness can persist. The risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis also rises.