How Long Does Menopause Last? The Three Stages, The Real Timelines, And What Helps Each One
How long does menopause last? The short answer
How long does menopause last? Strictly, menopause is a single day: your last period, confirmed after 12 months without one. In Australia it comes at 51 on average. What most women mean is the change around it, and that lasts years. Perimenopause runs 4 to 6 years on average, and frequent hot flushes lasted a median of 7.4 years in a large American study.
So it is worth having a plan for the long haul. Here is the article in short form:
- Three stages: perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.
- Perimenopause: 4 to 6 years on average, 2 to 10 in all.
- It can start in the late 30s; usually around 47.
- Frequent flushes: a median of 7.4 years.
- Brain fog is real, and usually time-limited.
- Muscle, bone and fat shifts settle about two years after the last period.
A quick word on Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. His daughter Geeta Iyengar did more than anyone to work out how yoga should change for women at each stage of life, and went through menopause herself while teaching. It is the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online.
Chris started yoga in her late 30s. By perimenopause she had a regular practice, and in her words, yoga gave her an easy transition.
What are the stages of menopause?
There are three.
- Perimenopause means “around menopause”. It is the years before your last period, when hormones rise and fall unevenly. Irregular periods are often the first sign, then broken sleep, mood swings, anxiety, brain fog and, for many, the first hot flushes.
- Menopause is the last period. You know you have reached it after 12 months without one. In Australia the average age is 51.
- Postmenopause is the rest of your life. Some symptoms fade; bones, heart and pelvic floor need more care.
How long does perimenopause last?
On average 4 to 6 years, the Australian Government’s health department says, “but everyone is different and it can last between 2 to 10 years.” It “often starts in your 40s, but can start earlier or later.” Jean Hailes for Women’s Health puts the usual start at around 47. Mayo Clinic says some women notice changes “as early as their 30s”.
So if you are 38 or 42 and something feels off, you may not be imagining it. The earlier you start looking after yourself, the more yoga can do.
In SWAN, fat gain sped up and muscle fell from the start of the change, then both levelled off about two years after the last period.
How long do menopause symptoms last?
It depends on the symptom.
- Hot flushes. In the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), frequent flushes lasted a median of 7.4 years, and longer for women whose flushes began early or who felt more stress, anxiety and low mood when they started.
- Brain fog. SWAN tested 2,362 women’s thinking over four years. In perimenopause, learning dipped; after menopause it bounced back. The researchers called the difficulties “time-limited”.
- Body shape. SWAN scans showed fat gain speeding up and muscle falling from the start of the change, then both levelling off about two years after the last period.
- Joints. A 2024 review estimated over 70% of women get muscle and joint aches through the change, and 25% are disabled by them.
Over 70% of women get muscle and joint aches through the change. It is not only flushes.
Get the free ebook Cool, Calm And Strong. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Does anything make the change easier?
Yes. A 2025 review of 24 trials, with 2,028 women, found yoga improved menopause symptoms overall, and mood, anxiety, sleep, bladder and vaginal symptoms, and blood pressure. A 2024 review of 11 trials found mind-body exercise gave stronger bones, better sleep, less anxiety, less low mood and less tiredness through peri- and postmenopause.
Angie Sublime, a Darwin singer, tried everything when menopause arrived: hormone replacement, morning walks, a personal trainer three mornings a week, a dietician. “Despite the effort and exercise, there was still no change,” she said. Then she came to yoga. Her words: “I tried everything. Only yoga worked.”
My own story is simpler. I did not start yoga until my late 30s, looking for help with sleep. By the time perimenopause came I had a regular yoga and pranayama habit. “Yoga gave me an easy transition.”
Bone loss is fastest in the first five years after the last period. That is why the years after menopause matter too.
Why do the years after menopause matter so much?
Because some changes keep going after the symptoms stop. Women can lose up to 10% of their bone density in the first five years after menopause. Blood pressure tends to rise, joints stiffen and the pelvic floor changes.
An ordinary class meets each of these. Standing poses load the hips and spine for bone. Slow breathing and supported poses steady blood pressure. Props ease stiff joints. Every pose asks for full attention, which is a workout for memory too.
Geeta Iyengar did not stop during her own menopause. She practised her breathing sitting against a wall so her spine would not sink, and relearned Warrior 1 in a doorway. “Menopause should be interpreted as a psychological and emotional shifting of gears,” she said.
Warrior 1, a weight-bearing standing pose. Geeta Iyengar relearned it in a doorway during her own menopause.
Where can I get menopause support in Darwin?
For menopause support in Darwin, come to class at Flametree’s Woolner or Coolalinga studio, or join live online from anywhere in Australia. Any beginner or non-beginner class does this work, and our restorative, gentle, Women’s Wellness and pranayama classes add something extra. Feel free to check with your professional advisers if you wish, but also give yoga a try.
See also Yoga For Perimenopause, Hot Flushes and Yoga For Menopause.
Cool, Calm And Strong, our free ebook for perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
Your free copy of Cool, Calm And Strong is waiting. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Frequently asked questions
What age does menopause usually start in Australia?
The last period comes at 51 on average in Australia. Perimenopause, the uneven years before it, usually starts in the 40s, often around 47, but some women notice changes in their late 30s.
How do I know if I am in perimenopause?
Irregular periods are often the first sign. Then come trouble sleeping, low mood or mood swings, anxiety, brain fog and, for many women, the first hot flushes.
When do you know menopause is over?
Menopause itself is confirmed after 12 months with no period. From then you are postmenopausal. Some symptoms, such as hot flushes, can carry on for years, while others, such as brain fog, usually ease.
Does brain fog go away after menopause?
For most women, yes. In SWAN, women learned less well during perimenopause and bounced back after menopause; the researchers called it time-limited. Brain scans by Dr Lisa Mosconi’s team found the brain largely settled after menopause.
Is weight gain in menopause permanent?
The fast changes are not endless. In SWAN body scans, fat gain sped up and muscle fell from the start of the change, then both levelled off about two years after the last period. Building and keeping muscle helps.
Can you go through menopause in your 30s?
Early menopause and early perimenopause both happen. Some women notice perimenopause changes in their late 30s. Menopause before 40 is called premature menopause.
Can yoga shorten menopause?
Nothing shortens the change itself, but yoga eases much of what it brings. A 2025 review of 24 trials found yoga improved menopause symptoms overall, plus mood, anxiety, sleep, bladder symptoms and blood pressure.
Where can I get menopause support in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin and live online. Any class helps, and our restorative, gentle, Women’s Wellness and pranayama classes add something extra for these years.
Where to next
- New to yoga, or coming back? Start with our half price 10 class pass with 2 classes free, in Darwin or live online.
- For a workplace, team or group: book private yoga classes for groups, online, at a Flametree studio or at your venue.
- Want to see class times first? Look at the beginner timetable.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This article is general information, not medical advice. Feel free to check with your professional advisers if you wish, but also give yoga a try.
Sources: Australian Government Department of Health, menopause and perimenopause; Jean Hailes for Women’s Health; Avis NE and colleagues, Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms (SWAN), JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015; Greendale GA and colleagues, Changes in body composition during the menopause transition (SWAN), JCI Insight, 2019; Greendale GA and colleagues, menopause and cognitive performance (SWAN, 2,362 women), Neurology, 2009; Wang H and colleagues, yoga for menopausal symptoms (24 trials, 2,028 women), International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2025; Xu H and colleagues, mind-body exercise (11 trials, 1,005 women), Menopause, 2024; Better Health Channel, Victorian Government; Geeta Iyengar’s teaching. Further reading: Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, menopause. Full references are in the Cool, Calm And Strong ebook.
