Sign 1: Periods stop
The simplest main sign is that your periods stop. Now, official sources such as the NHS in the UK say that you're post-menopause after one year of no periods – no bleeding at all. In my experience, many women get a period, or they get a bit of bleeding, a year or more after their periods have stopped, and they wonder what on earth is going on.
If you do get some bleeding or periods back, it means your hormones are still in flux. So, I tend to say that you're definitely post-menopause after two years without periods.
And this is very relevant for pregnancy implications. If you go without periods for one year, but your hormones are still changing, there is the possibility of pregnancy. So, my view here is that it’s safer to say that after two years without bleeds you are post-menopause.
What if you don’t have periods as a guide?
You may be asking (and I get lots of questions on this) what happens if I don't have any periods? How can I tell? What are the signs going to be?
If you've had a partial hysterectomy where you retain your ovaries, you’ll go through menopause without any bleeds. If you're on a progesterone-only contraceptive such as the Mirena coil or the progesterone-only pill, you often end up not having any periods. So, how on earth are you going to know when the two years is up?
You can ask the doctor for a sex hormone test, but if you are taking hormonal contraceptives or HRT, the test might not be particularly accurate. Also, remember that some women go through the menopause without any symptoms at all.
So, it may well be that you're already post-menopause and you might not actually be aware that you are.
Sign 2: Your symptoms starting to ease off
The majority of women will find that two to three years after periods stop, that symptoms will ease, they will disappear.
And this is just your body learning to adapt and cope with lower levels of hormones. However, if you find that your symptoms are continuing, if they're getting worse, if new ones are starting to appear, then it's really important just to check with your doctor at this particular point.
Other health issues such as thyroid imbalances, anaemia, vitamin D or B12 deficiency, diabetes and heart disease, can all cause symptoms that are absolutely identical to menopause ones.
So, it's really important just to have a good checkup with your doctor.
Keep looking after yourself
Remember too that at this point it's so important to still look after yourself well. You want to have a healthy post-menopause ‘happily ever after’.
So do still take care of yourself. I hope you found this useful. It is really quite a complicated one. If any of you have any questions on this or you're worried at all, please just leave your questions. Tell me your stories. You know I love to read them.
Until next time, take care and have a lovely week.
You may also find these topics helpful:
10 things you need to know about postmenopause
Post-menopause: the good, the bad, and the problematic
Staying healthy post-menopause: My tips and simple strategies
