premenopause

noun

pre·​men·​o·​pause ˌprē-ˈme-nə-ˌpȯz How to pronounce premenopause (audio)
-ˈmē-
variants or less commonly pre-menopause
: the period of a woman's life that precedes menopause
When does menopause start? Basically, there are four intervals of importance: (1) premenopause consists of the reproductive years, from the first menstrual period to menopause …Michelle P. Warren
compare perimenopause

Examples of premenopause in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But, frankly, navigating premenopause symptoms, a.k.a. perimenopause, can still be kind of infuriating. Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2023 What are some premenopause symptoms? Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'premenopause.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of premenopause was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near premenopause

Cite this Entry

“Premenopause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/premenopause. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

premenopause

noun
pre·​meno·​pause
-ˈmen-ə-ˌpȯz, -ˈmēn-
variants also pre-menopause
: the entire period of a woman's life that precedes menopause
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!