“Postmenopause is the time after menopause. A woman can experience menopausal symptoms in postmenopause. How long this continues varies for each woman”.¹

Umbrella
What may the Postmenopause Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

Definition

What is the definition of postmenopause?

DotS the definition of postmenopause may vary. The World Health Organization’s and the International Menopause Society’s (IMS) definition is:

“Postmenopause – the term postmenopause is defined as dating from the FMP, regardless of whether the menopause was induced or spontaneous”.²

The North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) definition is:

“Postmenopause includes all the years beyond menopause”.³

The Australasian Menopause Society’s definition is:

“When a woman has had no periods for 12 consecutive months she is considered to be “postmenopausal””.⁴

FMP

What is FMP?

FMP can be an abbreviation for Final Menstrual Period.

Duration

How long does postmenopause last?

Postmenopause – or after menopause – lasts for the rest of our life. This means we may be postmenopausal for 30 years – more or less – if we live from menopause at 50ish, until 80ish.

On page two in Prevention of Diseases After Menopause: Introduction the authors elaborate on:

“As the world population increases, along with an increase in life expectancy, many millions of women will be spending a third or more of their lives after menopause”.⁵

Postmenopause Differences

Do all women experience the same postmenopause?

No. All women do not experience the same postmenopause. Just as different women have a different perimenopause, different women also have a different postmenopause.

Menopause Symptoms

Do menopause symptoms stop when postmenopause starts?

Not necessarily. The (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health explain:

“Postmenopause is the time after menopause. A woman can experience menopausal symptoms in postmenopause. How long this continues varies for each woman”.⁶

Chronic Conditions

Is there an association between chronic conditions and postmenopause?

On page three in Prevention of Diseases After Menopause: Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases After Menopause the authors note:

“After menopause, several chronic diseases may emerge, usually by the sixth decade, and these include obesity and metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and arthritis, dementia and cognitive decline, and cancer. An important opportunity exists at the onset of menopause to prevent or attenuate these chronic diseases which have an onset approximately 10 years later”.⁷

The same authors of Prevention of Diseases After Menopause also note:

“Some of these conditions (cardiovascular disease) accelerate in women after menopause, and others (cancer) increase as a function of age in both men and women”.⁸

Prevention

Postmenopause, how may chronic disease be prevented?

The authors of Prevention of Diseases After Menopause explain:

What is MHT?

MHT can be an abbreviation for Menopausal Hormone Therapy or Hormone Therapy (HT).

On page four in Maintaining Health and Preventing Disease After the Menopause for World Menopause Day 2014, the International Menopause Society list their Top 10 Prevention Tips for Chronic Disease in Later Life.

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help with my postmenopause?

If you would like help with your postmenopause, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. The IMS remind us:

“The menopause transition should be used as an opportunity to visit your healthcare professional for a check-up, assess potential risks and proactively start to manage later life. Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, cognitive decline and dementia, depression, and cancer are the key diseases to address”.¹⁰

Health Topics A-Z

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Topic Last Updated: 30 July 2021 – Topic Last Reviewed: 04 July 2021