Menopause: Is it a one time event or an ongoing process?

Menopause is often treated as a onetime, life history event for cross-species and cross-cultural comparisons, as well as a medical event (a marker of estrogen decline). Women themselves, however, usually experience menopause as a more gradual, transitional process.

Menopause as a Process
The last menstrual period is an event that occurs within the transition from a reproductive to a postreproductive stage of life. In most countries this transition period is called the climacteric, but in the United States researchers speak more commonly of the “perimenopause”.
In general, the climacteric or perimenopausal transition begins when menstrual periods become irregular and ends one year after the last menstrual period. The word “climacteric” comes from the Latin word climactericus, meaning “of a dangerous period in life,” or from the Greek word klimakterikos, from klimakter, meaning “a dangerous point, the rung of a ladder.” “A dangerous period in life” may seem less favorable than “perimenopause”; however, because the word “climacteric” is used more often internationally, I employ both terms.

Menopause is related to the climacteric much as menarche is related to puberty. In other words,
menopause is the most prominent signal that the female body is exiting the reproductive period, just as menarche is the most prominent signal that the female body is entering it. There is a major difference, however, between menopause and menarche. While the first menstrual period is unmistakable, the last menstrual period is only certain in retrospect—enough time has to elapse before one can be sure.

Understanding menopause as a transitional process involves understanding
the hormonal changes that accompany the transition, the symptoms associated
with the process, as well as the various aspects of life that influence the
experience along the way