The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts

Dr. Haver explains the three key stages of reproductive aging: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause, marked by hormonal fluctuations and irregular periods. She explains that the symptoms of perimenopause—ranging from hot flashes to brain fog and weight gain—are often dismissed or misdiagnosed due to the lack of standardized testing for this phase.

Next, she clarifies that menopause is technically just a single day, the point at which a woman has gone 12 months without a period. The average age of menopause is 51, though it can occur earlier or later. During this time, the decline in estrogen accelerates aging, affecting not only reproductive health but also overall well-being, with potential impacts on bone density, cardiovascular health, and more. Following menopause, women enter postmenopause, a stage that lasts for the rest of their lives. Symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats can persist for years, though they generally decline in severity.

The chapter also explores the factors that influence when a woman will enter menopause, with genetics playing a primary role. Additionally, Dr.