Menopause and the climacteric are two states that occur during the maturity of the different woman that are commonly confused. Although both have similar symptoms and occur at the same stage of their life we should know that they are not the same. In this article, we tell you what are the differences between menopause and climacteric and how to detect them.

Climacteric Definition

The climacteric is the complete cycle since the woman in her maturity begins to generate fewer eggs until she stops producing them altogether. Therefore, the climacteric includes premenopause , menopause and postmenopause , until the ovaries stop producing eggs altogether for the rest of the woman's life.

We will know that our body has entered into climacteric because the menstruation will begin to be less scarce and will disappear during some months. At this point we must go to our doctor to confirm that we have actually entered this cycle and not because our body is not acting in a natural way.

Usually the climacteric begins at age 40 and ends at approximately 55. However, each body is different and this process may be shorter or longer depending on the nature of each woman.

That your body has entered the climacteric does not mean that you will have the menopause soon after, because there is an average of 8 years until this one is suffered, as we have said, depending on the organism of each one. A doctor will be the most appropriate to advise you what to do from this moment and how many possibilities you have to have children.

It is common to confuse menopause with the climacteric

Postmenopause

Postmenopause is part of the climacteric and also has symptoms like the same menopause, but lighter. Some women suffer from tachycardias, a rise in body temperature, or headaches.

When we are born our body has a limited number of ovaries, so it is from this moment when we lose the ones we have left and we will not be able to become pregnant anymore. The vaginal infections and excess flow are very common throughout the process of climacteric, so visit your gynecologist regularly and follow their recommendations.

Menopause

Menopause is a part of the climacteric cycle that occurs during the maturity of the woman. It is called with a specific and common name, because it is the dividing line between the capacity to be able to fecundate or not.

Strictly, menopause refers to the last menstruation, and it is from that moment when the woman stops being fertile. It is accompanied by the phase of premenopause and the phase of postmenopause, and the three make up the already explained climacteric. However, during this process the woman may experience some occasional bleeding, perhaps at six months, but will simply be the remaining eggs leaving her body.

Menopause is the last menstruation of women's life.

The woman may feel the first symptoms like hot flashes, rise in body temperature, dizziness, headaches and irritability. The psychological changes are numerous, that is why menopause is reputed to provoke in women a more arisco and spontaneous character.

This process is linked with loss of libido and a general low mood. The body is changing, the uterus decreases in size, the skin of the vulva becomes thinner and the woman may no longer enjoy intercourse because of possible pain. It is always advisable to comment any of these symptoms to the doctor, who will know how to treat the menopause of each woman.

Therefore, climacteric is the name of the whole process, from the woman begins to lose the menstruation until it stops being completely sterile. However, we know the intermediate process, menopause, because it is the term most commonly used and the one that marks a before and after in the maturity of every woman.