Some women go through menopause much later in their 50s, some in their 40s, and a few in their 30s. When a woman has surgery that removes her ovaries, it is called surgical menopause. Signs of Menopause A woman's body changes around the time of menopause, often before periods have actually stopped. One change is that periods become very irregular. Sometimes bleeding is very heavy or very light.
Some women skip periods, or have more than one period a month.
It's still possible for you to get pregnant during this time. If you don't want to get pregnant, keep using birth control even if your periods are irregular. Some women have irregular periods for several years before their periods stop. Others have regular periods right up to the time of their last period. The hot flash is probably the best known sign of menopause.