Perimenopause also includes the year after menopause. Postmenopause refers to the lifetime following menopause when the ovaries' production of new eggs has stopped. End of menstruation. Confirmed after 12 months without a period. As estrogen levels drop, our cycles become irregular and the duration and intensity of bleeding begins to vary.
Some women skip periods, even for months at a time, then start again.
Any pattern is possible. A cold chill often follows. Some women never have a hot flash. Those who do can experience them over a period of three to five years. In rare cases, hot flashes continue into the ninth decade of life.