Menopause is often misused to describe the entire transition from the reproductive years to the non reproductive years. In fact, menopause refers only to the completed state; it is something a woman reaches, not something she "goes through." Menopause is only one of several stages in the reproductive lives of women.

Pre-menopause refers to the entirety of a woman's reproductive life-from first menstruation to menopause. The stage immediately prior to menopause, in which physical changes begin to accelerate, and women are most likely to experience perceptible physical changes due to drops in hormone production.

A woman is considered to be in menopause when she has gone through 12 months without menstruation. Post menopause obviously, refers to life after the final menstrual period. In short, these stages describe the entirety of a woman's mature life in terms of her reproductive function.