Menopause: What Women Should Know

Menopause. It's a word that conjures up visions of hot flashes, fans, and spritzer bottles. I used to be fascinated by the fact that my mother would transform from looking cool and comfortable to someone with sweat dripping off her nose within a matter of seconds. Yet somehow I sailed through menopause with only two hot flashes. Go figure. Andrea (the Founder of Morphus) had a different experience and definitely had hot flashes.

Basically, menopause is a different experience for every woman. So if you haven't experienced it yet, don't panic! If you are in the throes of it, the advice is the same. Here are some of the things you should know about this time of life.

Last updated: October 2026

What is menopause?

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops. Specifically, it's when your ovaries stop releasing eggs and your body makes much less estrogen and progesterone.

You've officially reached menopause once you've gone 12 months in a row without a period. The years of changing cycles and symptoms leading up to that point are perimenopause, and that's where most of the surprises happen.

At what age does menopause begin?

The majority of women reach menopause between ages 40 and 58, with the average age being 51. Genetics plays a part (mom had late menopause so you may too!), and so do medical treatments such as surgery to remove both ovaries, or chemotherapy or pelvic radiation for cancer.

If you smoke, you may reach menopause about two years earlier. That's just a generalization.

About 3 to 4 in every 100 women reach menopause before age 40. Doctors call this premature ovarian insufficiency, or POI. Menopause between 40 and 45 is called early menopause. Causes can include autoimmune conditions, surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, and chromosomal differences such as Turner syndrome, though often no cause is found. If you're younger than 40 and haven't had a period in more than three months, talk to your doctor and ask to be checked.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

The move from perimenopause to menopause can be gradual or more sudden, depending on the woman. The symptoms often blend together for a while, but the one most people think of first is hot flashes. Other symptoms you may notice include the following. Don't let the long list scare you!

• Night sweats
• Lower libido
• Irregular periods and spotting between periods
• Thinning hair and hair loss
• Dry skin
• Vaginal dryness (which can make sex painful)
• Mood changes
• Weight gain
• Burning mouth
• Breast pain
• Muscle tension
• Electric shock sensations
• Headaches
• Digestive problems
• Itchy skin
• Gum problems
• Anxiety
• Disrupted sleep
• Tingling in your hands and feet
• Fatigue
• Memory and concentration challenges, often called brain fog
• Dizzy spells
• Bloating
• Leaking when you laugh, cough or sneeze
• Brittle nails
• Allergies
• Irregular heartbeat
• Stronger body odor
• Low mood or depression
• Loss of bone density

And that's only the start. When we surveyed women in perimenopause and menopause, they reported more than 103 signs and symptoms, many of which most of us were never told about. You can see what we found on our research surveys page.

One thing that isn't a normal part of menopause: any bleeding or spotting after you've gone 12 months without a period. Please see your doctor about it, even if it's light or only happens once.

You can get some relief if you eat a clean, natural diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, cut back on alcohol and caffeine, don't smoke, and practice stress-reduction techniques such as yoga, progressive relaxation, visualization, deep breathing, and tai chi.

Is there a menopause test?

For most women over 45, no test is needed. Guidance from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says doctors can diagnose perimenopause from hot flashes or night sweats plus changing periods, and menopause once you've gone 12 months without a period, all without blood work.

Testing makes more sense if you're between 40 and 45 with symptoms and changes to your cycle, or under 40 and menopause is suspected. In those cases your doctor may check follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). If anything suggests another cause, they may also check your thyroid, since an underactive thyroid is common at this age and can look a lot like menopause.

In 2018 the FDA allowed marketing of the PicoAMH Elisa test, which measures anti-Mullerian hormone in the blood. The FDA described it as an aid in working out menopausal status, meant to be used only together with other clinical assessments and lab results. It can't tell you the date of your last period.

Some practitioners use dried urine hormone panels, such as the DUTCH test, to look at hormone patterns. These aren't used to diagnose menopause.

Updated October 2026: we corrected our section on menopause testing. An earlier version said a vaginal pH swab can confirm menopause and that the AMH test shows when menopause will begin. Neither is accurate, and we're sorry for the confusion.

Morphus shares educational information, not medical advice. Speak with your doctor about what's right for you.