What does postmenopause mean?
Postmenopause is the stage of life after menopause, the point at which menstruation has stopped because ovarian hormone production has fallen below the level needed to maintain the menstrual cycle. Menopause is generally confirmed after 12 consecutive months without menstruation; postmenopause begins after that milestone and continues for the remainder of life. The word is used in medicine, public health, wellness writing, and everyday discussion of later life, especially when discussing bone density, cardiovascular health, sleep, sexual well-being, and hormone-related changes. It describes a normal biological stage rather than a disease, although some changes can increase health risks or require treatment. In formal writing, “postmenopausal” is often preferred as an adjective, while “postmenopause” serves as a noun and may also appear attributively in phrases such as “postmenopause care.” The distinction from menopause matters: menopause names the transition itself, whereas postmenopause names the extended period that follows.
The period of life following menopause, when menstruation has ceased and the ovaries no longer produce sufficient hormones to maintain the menstrual cycle.
"Maintaining bone health becomes an important concern during postmenopause."
Common in medical, wellness, and educational contexts; it denotes a normal biological stage rather than a condition or disease.
Relating to or occurring after menopause.
"Postmenopause care should account for changes in bone density and cardiovascular health."
Usually attributive, as in “postmenopause care.” The more conventional adjective form is “postmenopausal.”
Uncommon; the shared life stage is normally referred to in the singular.
"The guide compares postmenopauses marked by different levels of bone loss."
A year without menstruation is the usual milestone that opens postmenopause—a normal life stage, not a diagnosis.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postmenopause come from?
The word combines the Latin prefix post-, meaning “after,” with menopause, the modern English term for the end of menstruation. Menopause itself combines roots associated with the Greek mēn, meaning “month,” and cessation or stopping, reflecting the end of monthly menstrual cycles. The prefixed form postmenopause developed in English to denote the stage and period following that transition.
Related word forms
How postmenopause is actually used
Most common in medical, wellness, and educational contexts. It usually describes a normal biological stage rather than a disease. The form “postmenopausal” is often preferred when the word functions grammatically as an adjective.
Easily confused with postmenopause
Menopause names the transition that ends menstruation, whereas postmenopause denotes the extended life stage following that transition.
Postmenopause is principally a noun naming the stage after menopause, while postmenopausal is the corresponding adjective.