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Women who've had menopausal symptoms for years—such as night sweats, mood changes and new aches and pains—might be wondering when they will ever end.

But if you Google "how long does menopause last?", you might not get the result you're hoping for. The answer is nuanced and depends on how we think about menopause.

One answer is "a day." Another is "it depends." A third is "the rest of your life."

Menopause technically refers to a single day, 12 months after the final menstrual period.

As the brain and the ovaries age around midlife, communication starts to become disrupted between two hormones that act on the ovaries—follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone—and other hormones that coordinate the menstrual cycle, including estrogen.

At midlife, hormone levels fluctuate substantially, leading to a decline in estrogen and a rise in FSH. These hormonal dynamics are what cause menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes. And when the ovaries stop producing hormones, ovulation ceases. This is when a woman will experience her final period.

The average age at menopause in Australia is 51 years. But most women go through perimenopause—also called "the menopausal transition"—from 45–55 years old.

Perimenopause describes the hormonal fluctuations and associated symptoms that occur before the last period. The years after menopause are called "postmenopause."

Some women go through early menopause (between 40 and 45). Premature menopause is when your final period occurs before the age of 40.

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