{"id":193,"date":"2025-12-15T14:25:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silverlocks.org\/en\/?p=193"},"modified":"2026-03-16T19:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:46:10","slug":"menopause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silverlocks.org\/en\/menopause\/","title":{"rendered":"Menopause: The Complete Guide For Women Over 45"},"content":{"rendered":"

This page is your starting point, linking out to practical, in-depth guides on the most common menopause symptoms on Silverlocks.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is Menopause?<\/h2>\n

Menopause is the point when you\u2019ve gone a full 12 months without a period and there\u2019s no other reason for it, like pregnancy or major illness. It marks the end of your natural cycles and your ability to get pregnant naturally.<\/p>\n

Around this time, your ovaries slow down how much oestrogen and progesterone they make. Those hormones are involved in many parts of your body, so when they start to drop, you can feel it in lots of different ways \u2013 from hot flushes to sleep problems and mood swings.<\/p>\n

Perimenopause and Menopause are often used as if they all mean the same thing, but there is an important difference between perimenopause and menopause.<\/p>\n

Perimenopause<\/strong> \u2013 the transition years leading up to menopause. Perimenopause can start in your early to mid-40s, and for some women it even shows up in their late 30s, especially if their mum or older sisters hit menopause early. You might still be getting regular periods on paper, but something just feels \u201coff\u201d. Your cycle can start to misbehave a bit: a period that turns up early or late, bleeding that\u2019s suddenly much heavier or lighter than usual, random night sweats, mood swings that feel like PMS on steroids, or those lovely 3 a.m. wake-ups for no good reason.<\/p>\n

Menopause<\/strong> \u2013 that one point in time: 12 months after your last period. What actually happens is that your periods get more and more irregular during perimenopause, then eventually stop\u2026 and only a year later can you look back and say, \u201cRight, that was my final one.\u201d From that point on, you\u2019re technically \u201cpostmenopausal\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 your ovaries have slowed right down, your oestrogen is much lower, and the hormone rollercoaster of the transition is meant to be easing off.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t always mean every symptom magically disappears after the 12-month mark. Some women find symptoms ease within a couple of years, others notice them on and off for longer \u2013 there\u2019s no one \u2018right\u2019 pattern. But you don\u2019t have to just grit your teeth and get through it; there are options that can make this phase much easier.<\/p>\n

Read more about the difference between perimenopause and menopause.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

When can menopause start?<\/h2>\n

Menopause doesn\u2019t have a precise start date. There is a \u201cusual range\u201d, but every woman\u2019s timeline is a little different.<\/p>\n