Menopause Glossary
Menopause comes with its own vocabulary. You’ll see these terms on lab reports, in patient portals, on prescription labels, and all over the internet. Here’s what they actually mean for you, so you can walk into your next appointment ready to ask the right questions.
Terms are listed A to Z. Where two words mean the same thing, we point you to the one most clinicians use today. This glossary is for education and is not a substitute for care from your own clinician.
Bleeding from your uterus that’s heavier, longer, or more frequent than is normal for you. Irregular periods are expected in perimenopause, but it’s worth checking in with your clinician if you’re soaking through a pad or tampon every hour, bleeding longer than 7 days, getting periods closer than 21 days apart, or bleeding after sex or between periods.
A blood test that estimates how many eggs remain in your ovaries. It’s mainly used in fertility care. AMH can’t reliably tell you when your menopause will happen or confirm that you’re in perimenopause.
Hormones that are chemically identical to the ones your body makes, such as estradiol and progesterone. Many FDA-approved hormone therapies are bioidentical. "Bioidentical" describes the molecule, not whether a product is custom-made.
A measure of how dense and strong your bones are. Bone loss speeds up in the years around your final period, so your clinician may recommend a bone density scan. See also DXA scan.
The term to describe trouble with word-finding, focus, or short-term memory that many women notice during perimenopause. It’s common, it’s real, and for most women it improves after the transition. Brain fog is not the same as dementia.
Two nutrients that work together to keep your bones strong. Most women over 50 need about 1,200 mg of calcium a day, ideally mostly from food, and 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D. Ask your clinician whether a supplement makes sense for you.
An umbrella term for conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including heart attack and stroke. It’s the leading cause of death in women, and risk rises after menopause as cholesterol and blood pressure often climb. Knowing your numbers is one of the most powerful things you can do for your future health.
Hormones mixed by a pharmacy into a custom cream, pellet, or capsule. They aren’t FDA-approved, so their dose, purity, and absorption aren’t tested the way approved products are. They can be useful when you need something not available commercially, such as an allergy to an ingredient. For most women, FDA-approved options are the first choice.
A hormone that your body converts into estrogen and testosterone. A prescription vaginal insert form (prasterone) is FDA-approved to treat painful sex caused by menopause-related vaginal changes.
Also called a DEXA scan. A quick, low-radiation X-ray that measures your bone density, usually at the hip and spine. It’s the standard test for diagnosing osteoporosis. See also T-score.
The medical term for pain during sex. It’s common after menopause, often because vaginal tissue becomes thinner and drier. See also Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).
Menopause that happens between ages 40 and 45. See also Premature menopause and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI).
The lining of your uterus, which builds up and sheds with each period. If you have a uterus and take estrogen, you’ll also need a progestogen to keep this lining from overgrowing.
The main form of estrogen your ovaries make during your reproductive years. It’s also the estrogen used in most FDA-approved patches, gels, sprays, pills, and vaginal products.
A hormone that affects far more than your reproductive organs. It plays a role in your brain, bones, heart, skin, bladder, and vaginal tissue. Falling and fluctuating estrogen levels are behind many of the changes you notice in perimenopause and menopause.
Hormone therapy that uses estrogen alone. It’s typically prescribed for women who no longer have a uterus. If you do have a uterus, estrogen is paired with a progestogen. See also Hormone therapy (HT) and Menopause hormone therapy (MHT).
Noncancerous growths on your uterus. They’re very common in your 40s and can cause heavy or prolonged periods. By 50yo, 80% of women have a fibroid. Fibroids usually shrink after menopause as estrogen levels fall.
A hormone from your brain that signals your ovaries to mature an egg. FSH rises as your ovaries wind down, but in perimenopause it can swing up and down from week to week. That’s why a single FSH test often can’t tell you whether you’re in perimenopause. For most women over 45, the diagnosis is based on your symptoms and cycle changes, not a blood test.
A creepy-crawly, itchy, or tingling feeling on your skin, sometimes described as ants crawling. Some women notice it during perimenopause.
A nonhormone medication originally approved for seizures and nerve pain. Clinicians sometimes prescribe it off-label for hot flashes, especially night sweats that disrupt sleep. Drowsiness is a common side effect. See also Off-label.
The current term for menopause-related changes to the vulva, vagina, and bladder caused by lower estrogen. You might notice dryness, burning, itching, pain with sex, needing to pee more urgently, or more frequent urinary tract infections. Unlike hot flashes, GSM tends to get worse over time without treatment. The good news is that it responds very well to treatment, especially vaginal estrogen. GSM replaces older terms like vaginal atrophy and atrophic vaginitis.
Prescription estrogen, with or without a progestogen, used to treat menopause symptoms. It’s the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats and also helps prevent bone loss. For most healthy women who start it before age 60 or within 10 years of their final period, the benefits outweigh the risks. In 2025, the FDA began updating hormone therapy labels to remove most of the boxed warning that had been in place since the early 2000s. You may also see it called menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Though, HRT isn’t correct terminology, since in the menopause transition, we are not trying to replace levels of estrogen to any standard. See also Menopause hormone therapy (MHT).
A sudden wave of heat, usually across your face, neck, and chest, that can bring flushing, sweating, a racing heart, and sometimes chills afterward. Up to 80% of women have them, and they last about 7 years on average. You don’t have to wait them out. Several effective treatments exist. See also Vasomotor symptoms (VMS).
Low or absent sexual desire that bothers you. Changes in desire are common in midlife and aren’t a problem unless they’re causing you distress. If they are, there are treatment options worth discussing.
Surgery to remove your uterus. Your periods stop, but if your ovaries stay in place, you don’t go into menopause right away. Without periods as a signal, it can be harder to tell when the transition begins, so pay attention to other symptoms.
Menopause caused by a medical treatment, such as surgery to remove both ovaries, chemotherapy, or pelvic radiation, rather than happening naturally. Symptoms often start suddenly and can feel more intense. See also Surgical menopause.
Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early. Sleep problems are common in perimenopause, sometimes because of night sweats and sometimes on their own. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective first-line treatment.
A small device placed in your uterus. Hormonal IUDs release a progestin and can be a useful tool in midlife: they prevent pregnancy, lighten heavy periods, and are sometimes used to protect the uterine lining if you’re taking estrogen.
Squeeze-and-release exercises that strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. They can help with bladder leaks. Not sure you’re doing them right? A pelvic floor physical therapist can help. See also Pelvic floor.
A chronic skin condition of the vulva that causes itching, soreness, and white, thin-looking skin. It’s more common after menopause and is sometimes mistaken for GSM or a yeast infection. It’s treated with a prescription steroid ointment and needs regular follow-up with your clinician.
Treatment that works mainly where it’s applied, with little reaching the rest of your body. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is an example.
A single day that is confirmed once you’ve gone 12 months in a row without a menstrual cycle. It marks the end of your ovaries’ monthly cycles and of your ability to get pregnant naturally. It’s a single point in time. The years leading up to it are perimenopause, and everything after is postmenopause.
Prescription estrogen, with or without a progestogen, used to treat menopause symptoms. It’s the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats and also helps prevent bone loss. For most healthy women who start it before age 60 or within 10 years of their final period, the benefits outweigh the risks. In 2025, the FDA began updating hormone therapy labels to remove most of the boxed warning that had been in place since the early 2000s. You may also see it called menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Though, HRT isn’t correct terminology, since in the menopause transition, we are not trying to replace levels of estrogen to any standard. See also Hormone therapy (HT).
A licensed clinician, such as a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or pharmacist, who has passed The Menopause Society’s competency exam in menopause care. You can search for one near you in The Menopause Society’s online directory.
Another name for perimenopause and menopause together. See Perimenopause.
Irritability, anxiety, low mood, depression, rage or feeling less like yourself are common during perimenopause, even if you’ve never struggled with your mood before. Shifting hormones play a role, along with poor sleep and midlife stress. These changes deserve attention and are treatable. If low mood lasts more than two weeks or you have thoughts of harming yourself, reach out to a clinician or call or text 911 right away.
A newer class of nonhormone prescription medications that treat hot flashes and night sweats by calming the brain’s temperature-control center. Fezolinetant (Veozah) was approved in 2023 and elinzanetant (Lynkuet) in 2025. They can be a good option if you can’t or prefer not to take hormone therapy. Your clinician will review side effects and any monitoring needed, such as liver blood tests.
Hot flashes that happen while you sleep. They can soak your sheets, wake you up, and leave you exhausted the next day.
Using an FDA-approved medication for something other than what it was originally approved for. This is legal, common, and often backed by good evidence. Many effective menopause treatments are used this way.
Surgery to remove an ovary. When both ovaries are removed before natural menopause, menopause begins right away. See also Surgical menopause.
Bone density that’s lower than average but not low enough to be called osteoporosis. You’ll usually see this term on a DXA report. It’s a signal to focus on bone health, not a reason to panic.
A condition in which bones become thin and fragile enough to break more easily, sometimes from a minor fall. Bone loss speeds up in the first several years after menopause. Strength training, enough calcium and vitamin D, and, when needed, medication or hormone therapy can help protect your bones.
The group of muscles that supports your bladder, uterus, and bowel like a hammock. A weak or overly tight pelvic floor can contribute to leaks, prolapse, or pain with sex. Pelvic floor physical therapy is an effective, underused treatment for all three.
The years leading up to your final period, when hormone levels rise and fall unpredictably. It often starts in your late 30s/early 40s and lasts an average of 4 to 8 years. You may notice changes in your cycle, sleep, mood, or body temperature. You can still get pregnant during perimenopause, so talk with your clinician about when it’s safe to stop birth control.
Plant compounds with weak estrogen-like effects, found in soy, flaxseed, and red clover, and sold as supplements. They’re generally safe as part of your diet, but studies haven’t shown they reliably relieve hot flashes.
Any bleeding or spotting once you’ve gone 12 months without a period. It should always be checked by your clinician so anything important is caught early.
All the years after your final period. Some symptoms, like hot flashes, often ease over time, while others, like vaginal dryness, may continue. This is also a key time to focus on heart and bone health.
When your ovaries stop working normally before age 40. With POI, your ovaries may still work on and off, so periods can return and pregnancy is occasionally possible. If this happens to you, hormone therapy is usually recommended until at least the average age of menopause to protect your heart, bones, and brain.
A hormone your ovaries make after ovulation that prepares the uterine lining for pregnancy. Its bioidentical form, micronized progesterone, is commonly taken with estrogen to protect the uterus. It also can be found to help with sleep during the menopause transition.
A lab-made hormone that acts like progesterone. Progestins are found in many birth control methods, hormonal IUDs, and some hormone therapy products.
The umbrella term for progesterone and all progestins. If you have a uterus and take estrogen, you’ll need a progestogen to lower your risk of uterine cancer.
When your bladder, uterus, or rectum drops from its usual position and presses into the vagina. You might feel pressure, heaviness, or a bulge. Pelvic floor therapy, a supportive device called a pessary, or surgery can help.
Medications that act like estrogen in some tissues and block it in others. Some are used to treat painful sex from vaginal changes or to protect bone. Others are used in breast cancer treatment or prevention.
Types of antidepressant medications. At low doses, some of them reduce hot flashes, even if you aren’t depressed. A low-dose form of paroxetine is FDA-approved for this purpose, and others are used off-label.
Menopause that happens on its own, without surgery or medical treatment. In the US, it occurs around age 51 or 52 on average. Most people simply call it natural menopause.
Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, or lift something. It’s common and treatable, often starting with pelvic floor exercises or physical therapy.
Menopause that begins immediately after both ovaries are surgically removed. Because hormone levels drop suddenly rather than gradually, symptoms can start quickly and feel more intense. Talk with your surgeon ahead of time about how to manage them.
Treatment that travels through your bloodstream and affects your whole body. Estrogen pills, patches, gels, and sprays are systemic. See also Local therapy.
The number on your DXA report that compares your bone density with that of a healthy young adult. A T-score of -1 or higher is normal, between -1 and -2.5 is osteopenia, and -2.5 or lower is osteoporosis. Your clinician may also use a tool called FRAX to estimate your 10-year fracture risk.
A hormone women make in the ovaries and adrenal glands. It plays a role in sexual desire. For postmenopausal women with bothersome low desire, testosterone can help. There’s currently no FDA-approved testosterone product for women in the US, and it isn’t recommended for energy, mood, or memory.
Estrogen absorbed through your skin from a patch, gel, ring or spray. Because it bypasses the liver, it carries a lower risk of blood clots than estrogen pills, which makes it a common first choice.
A sudden, strong need to pee that’s hard to hold, sometimes with leaking before you reach the bathroom. Bladder training, pelvic floor therapy, vaginal estrogen, and medications can all help.
A bladder infection that causes burning, frequent urination, and urgency. UTIs become more common after menopause because of changes to vaginal and urinary tissue. Vaginal estrogen is proven to reduce how often they come back.
A lack of natural moisture in the vagina, causing discomfort, itching, or pain with sex. It’s one of the most common signs of GSM and one of the most treatable. See also Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).
Low-dose estrogen placed directly in the vagina as a cream, tablet, insert, or ring. It treats dryness, pain with sex, and urinary symptoms, and very little reaches the rest of your body. It’s considered safe for most women, including many breast cancer survivors, after a conversation with their oncology team.
An over-the-counter product you use at the time of sex to reduce friction and discomfort. Water-based and silicone-based options are widely available.
An over-the-counter product you use regularly, a few times a week, to keep vaginal tissue hydrated. Unlike a lubricant, it helps with everyday dryness and itching, not just during sex.
The medical term for hot flashes/flushes and night sweats together. You’ll often see it on medication labels and in research. See also Hot flash/flush and Night sweats.
Activities that make your bones and muscles work against gravity or added weight, such as brisk walking, hiking, dancing, and lifting weights. They help slow bone loss, build muscle, and lower fracture risk, and they’re good for your heart, mood, and sleep too.
A large study launched by the National Institutes of Health in 1991. Early results published in 2002 led many women to stop hormone therapy out of fear. Later analyses showed that risks and benefits depend heavily on age and timing: the average participant was 63, years past menopause. Today, experts agree hormone therapy is a safe, effective option for many women who start it closer to menopause.
Medical disclaimer: This glossary is for education and is not a substitute for care from your own clinician.
Last updated: October 2026
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