Menopause happens naturally with age. But it can also stem from surgery, treatment of a disease, or an illness. The process happens slowly over three stages:
Perimenopause. Your cycles will become irregular, but they haven’t stopped. Most women hit this stage around age 47.
Menopause. This is when you’ll have your final menstrual period. You won’t know for sure it’s happened until you’ve gone a year without one.
Postmenopause. This begins when you hit the year mark from your final period. Once that happens, you’ll be referred to as postmenopausal for the rest of your life.