Dr. Robin Austin

So keeping the, all of those variables in mind, it's a trajectory.

And I think that we're starting to really understand and kind of get our arms around how do women approach this?

How do we educate women?

How do we fill a void that's been for a while, I think, longstanding around menopause?

And how much it really affects our day-to-day life that we really haven't been so aware of?

We know it's there, but we haven't necessarily had a voice to talk about it.

So menopause is that 12-month window where we just don't have a period anymore.

And then you're considered post-metapause right after that.

But the perimetapause part is what we're really trying to talk about.

And I also want to point out that women, because we're living longer, is that women live in post-metapause for about a third of their life.

And I think that really wasn't necessarily brought to the forefront so much when we're talking about this whole entire menopause journey, that women do live in post-metapause for a large portion of their life.

And so I think that's another piece that has implications

for chronic disease and some other conditions and healthy longevity.

So I'll stop there.

That's my understanding is that it's just a guideline.

It's really to understand that your ovaries are no longer producing.

You're no longer having a period.

But the tricky part is that some people can still have potential spotting.

And so I guess it's really...

what is happening for that woman's specific body.