Menopause Glossary — Plain-Language Definitions

Stages & tracking

Perimenopause

The transition leading up to menopause, lasting several years on average. Hormone levels (especially estrogen) fluctuate unpredictably, periods become increasingly irregular, and most menopause symptoms begin. Divided into early and late stages based on cycle-length changes. Ends at menopause (the 12-month mark).

What it means for you: if your periods are changing and you're experiencing hot flashes, mood shifts, or brain fog — you may be in perimenopause. It is not "too early."

Menopause

A single point in time: the day you've gone 12 consecutive months without a period, with no other cause (pregnancy, breastfeeding, medication, illness). After this milestone, you're considered postmenopausal. Average age in the U.S.: 51.

What it means for you: menopause is not the whole transition. It's the one-year milestone within it. Most of what women experience happens in perimenopause or persists into postmenopause.

Postmenopause

Everything after menopause — the years and decades following your final period. Hormones stabilize at a low level (the chaotic swings of perimenopause are over), but some symptoms may persist, and long-term health considerations (bone density, cardiovascular health) shift.

What it means for you: you've reached the milestone, but the story continues. Bone health, heart health, and persistent symptoms all deserve attention.

STRAW+10

Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop +10 — the clinical framework doctors use to stage the menopause transition. Based on menstrual cycle patterns (not blood tests), it defines the stages from late reproductive through postmenopause. Updated in 2011.

What it means for you: this is what our 60-second self-check is built on. It uses the same criteria your doctor uses — cycle changes — because that's the reliable signal.

Hormones & labs

FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone)

A hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates the ovaries. As ovarian function declines, FSH rises — the brain "turning up the volume" to get the ovaries to respond. In perimenopause, FSH can swing dramatically day to day, making a single blood test unreliable for staging.

What it means for you: a "normal" FSH blood test during perimenopause does not mean you're not in the transition. Your cycle pattern matters more.

AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone)

A hormone produced by ovarian follicles that reflects your remaining egg supply. AMH declines steadily with age and becomes very low as you approach menopause. Unlike FSH, AMH is relatively stable across the menstrual cycle.

What it means for you: AMH can give a general picture of ovarian reserve, but it's not typically used alone to diagnose menopause stage.

Estradiol

The primary and most potent form of estrogen during your reproductive years. Produced by the ovaries, it cycles monthly during your fertile years. During perimenopause, estradiol swings unpredictably before eventually declining to very low levels after menopause.

What it means for you: when people say "estrogen," they usually mean estradiol. The erratic highs and lows — not just the decline — drive many perimenopause symptoms.

Estrone

A weaker form of estrogen, produced primarily in fat tissue from adrenal hormones. After menopause, when the ovaries stop producing meaningful estradiol, estrone becomes your body's main estrogen.

What it means for you: you still have estrogen after menopause — it's just a different, weaker type made in a different way.

Symptoms

VMS (Vasomotor Symptoms)

The clinical term for hot flashes and night sweats. "Vasomotor" refers to the widening and narrowing of blood vessels involved in temperature regulation. As estrogen fluctuates, the brain's temperature-control center becomes more reactive to small changes, triggering the sudden heat, flushing, and sweating of a hot flash. Affects up to 80% of women during the transition.

What it means for you: if you've been calling them "hot flashes," you're using the right term. VMS is just the clinical name.

GSM (Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause)

The clinical term for the collection of vaginal, sexual, and urinary symptoms that result from declining estrogen — vaginal dryness, irritation, painful sex (dyspareunia), urinary urgency, leaking, and recurrent UTIs. Unlike hot flashes, GSM tends to persist or worsen over time without treatment.

What it means for you: if sex hurts, if you're getting UTIs repeatedly, if things feel different "down there" — this is a recognized medical condition, not a personal failing. And it's treatable.

Dyspareunia

The clinical term for pain during sexual intercourse. In menopause, it's most often caused by GSM — the thinning and drying of vaginal tissues due to low estrogen.

What it means for you: painful sex is common, it's not something you have to accept, and treatments exist. Bring it up with your provider.

Anhedonia

A reduced ability to feel pleasure or interest in things you normally enjoy — including emotional flatness or a sense of numbness. During perimenopause, anhedonia is linked to fluctuating estrogen's effects on dopamine (the brain's reward and motivation chemical). It's different from sadness — it can feel like the "color" drained out of life.

What it means for you: if you feel flat, emotionless, or unable to feel joy — that's not "just depression." It's a recognized menopause symptom, and naming it is the first step.

Window of Opportunity

In hormone therapy, the period during which the benefit-to-risk balance is most favorable: for healthy women under age 60 or within 10 years of their final period. Starting MHT inside this window is associated with cardiovascular benefits and lower absolute risks. Starting more than 10 years after menopause or after 60 shifts the balance.

What it means for you: if you're considering hormone therapy, the window matters. It's a conversation to have sooner rather than later with a qualified provider.

Treatments

MHT / HRT (Menopausal Hormone Therapy / Hormone Replacement Therapy)

Medication that supplies estrogen (and, for women with a uterus, usually a progestogen to protect the uterine lining) to reduce menopause symptoms. Available as oral pills, skin patches, gels, sprays, and vaginal preparations. Guidelines describe MHT as the most effective treatment for moderate-to-severe hot flashes and night sweats. "HRT" is still widely used but "MHT" is the more current clinical term.

What it means for you: MHT and HRT refer to the same thing. The decision is individual — a conversation with a prescriber, not a choice you make from internet research.

Transdermal Estrogen

Estrogen delivered through the skin — via a patch, gel, or spray — rather than swallowed as a pill. Because it's absorbed directly into the bloodstream, it bypasses the liver, which reduces clotting and cardiovascular risks compared to oral estrogen.

What it means for you: if you've heard hormone therapy carries clot risk, that concern is primarily about the oral form. The delivery method changes the safety profile. Worth discussing with a prescriber.

Micronized Progesterone

A form of progesterone chemically identical to the hormone your body produces. Used in MHT to protect the uterine lining in women who still have a uterus. Evidence suggests it has a more favorable breast-cancer and blood-clot profile than older synthetic progestogens.

What it means for you: not all progesterone is the same. The type used in your MHT matters — and micronized progesterone is the body-identical version with the better safety evidence.

Fezolinetant (Veozah)

A newer non-hormonal oral medication that targets the brain mechanism behind hot flashes rather than replacing hormones. Trials showed a statistically significant reduction in hot flash frequency, though independent reviewers judged the average benefit modest. Requires liver-enzyme monitoring, and long-term safety data is still limited.

What it means for you: a non-hormonal option for hot flashes — effective for some, with monitoring requirements and limited long-term data. One of several options to discuss with your provider.

Credentials & scope

NBHWC (National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching)

The national certifying body for health and wellness coaches in the United States. NBC-HWC certification is the gold standard — it requires comprehensive training in physiology, behavior change, and evidence-based practice, passage of a board exam, and adherence to a professional code of ethics and scope of practice.

What it means for you: when a coach holds NBC-HWC certification, it means they've met rigorous national standards — not completed an online weekend course.

Scope of Practice

The defined boundaries of what a professional can and cannot do. For health and wellness coaches (NBHWC), the scope includes education, behavior-change support, and accountability — and explicitly excludes diagnosis, treatment, prescribing, and therapy.

What it means for you: when we say "we don't diagnose or prescribe," that's not just policy — it's a professional and ethical obligation. We stay in our lane so you get the right care from the right people.

Sources: STRAW+10 staging definitions; Mayo Clinic; "Let's Talk Menopause"; the 2025 Korean Society of Menopause MHT guidelines; the Fezolinetant ICER report; Evernow GSM consumer information; and the NBHWC scope of practice and code of ethics. For educational purposes only.

The words, in plain language.