What is the average age for perimenopause?

Menopause usually starts between the ages of 45 and 55, when oestrogen levels begin to decline. Most reach menopause around 51 but some (roughly one in 100 women), experience menopause before turning 40. Perimenopause is the three-to-five-year period before menopause, and it usually happens in your late 40s, however for some women it starts as early as 35 and can last for as long as 10 years.

What age do periods stop?
It’s different for everyone, some women reach this phase in their thirties, others in their sixties.
Menopause usually begins during the decade starting at 45 with active menopause (periods have stopped for 12 consecutive months or more), usually occurring during the 50s.

Periods can be irregular and erratic – one cannot assume they have stopped for good (menopause) when they have stopped for a few months. It is not unusual for periods to return after an absence.

Please seek medical advice if you have any concerns.