Which stage of menopause am I in?
Clinicians stage the menopause transition using STRAW+10, which anchors the stages to menstrual pattern rather than to age or hormone levels. Early perimenopause begins with a persistent change in cycle length of seven days or more; late perimenopause with a gap of 60 days or more; menopause is dated retrospectively after twelve months with no period. This check applies those criteria to your answers.
Staging is not academic. The stage you are in predicts which symptoms are likely, how long they are likely to last, and which risks become relevant — which is why it changes what a good appointment covers.
The system in use is STRAW+10, agreed by an international workshop. Its central decision was to key stages to menstrual pattern rather than hormone levels, because hormone levels in this phase are too erratic to define anything.
One limitation up front: staging does not work cleanly without periods to observe. If you have had a hysterectomy or use a hormonal coil, the answers below will be indicative at best.
Read more on this
The stages of menopause, and how to tell which one you are in
Postmenopause: what changes once the transition is over
When does perimenopause start? The honest answer
Sources
- The Menopause Society — patient education
- NICE NG23 — Menopause: diagnosis and management
- SWAN — Study of Women's Health Across the Nation