Answer by
bean11 (2803)
Menopause is technically just a word meaning the absence of your menstrual cycle. Menopause begins around age 50, generally, and continues for the rest of your life. The symptoms associated with early menopause (crabbiness, irritation, hot flashes, etc) usually last for 8 months to 2 years in the beginning stages of the end of the menstrual cycle.