1. No More Periods
Menopause marks the end of the menstrual cycle, and for many women, that’s a cause for celebration in itself. It means no more fussing with tampons or pads, no more worrying about leakage, and no more menstrual cramping.
“One of the most frequently expressed benefits my patients share is the end of their menstrual cycles. This is particularly impactful for women who have struggled with heavy periods. For them, no longer getting a period can be life-changing, restoring predictability and quality of life,” says Millheiser.
These women may find they gain energy, because heavy periods can cause anemia, which can make women feel tired and weak, she says. “After periods stop, many women report that they are able to exercise more efficiently,” Millheiser says.
No periods can also be a welcome relief after perimenopause, the stage before menopause, says Millheiser. “For many women, their monthly periods get heavier and/or more irregular. It may come sooner than every 28 days during this time. When they finally go through menopause, it puts an end to the guessing game of when their period is going to start or stop.”
2. Less Stress About PMS
About 9 out of 10 women of reproductive age say they have premenstrual symptoms, according to the Office on Women’s Health. This can include irritability, fatigue, changes in appetite, depression, anxiety, bloating, and breast tenderness.
Even if you’re a woman with a clockwork cycle and your symptoms are predictable, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can still make life pretty unpleasant for a few days each month. For a small number of women, the symptoms are disabling, a form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
3. The End of Menstrual Headaches
Migraine and headaches can also be part of the constellation of premenstrual symptoms that can go away after menopause, says Millheiser. Menstrual migraine has similar symptoms to other types of migraine, which can include headache pain, sensitivity to light, sweating or chills, and nausea and vomiting.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, at least 60 percent of the millions of women who have migraine have observed a connection between their menstrual cycle and migraine.
In a normal menstrual cycle, fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone can trigger menstrual migraine. But after menopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone fall, and often the number of hormonal headaches declines, too.
Unfortunately, if you have migraine for other reasons, menopause won’t fix that, says Millheiser.
4. Sex Without Pregnancy Worries
“Among American women of different ethnic groups, sex without thinking about pregnancy was frequently cited as one of the benefits of menopause,” says Nanette Santoro, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a menopause researcher at the University of Colorado in Anschutz.
For many women, not worrying about contraception can be very freeing, agrees Millheiser. “This is something women often appreciate about going through menopause.”
There are a few caveats to this good news. First, make sure that you have actually gone through menopause — that’s defined as 12 consecutive months without a period — before you stop using birth control, says Millheiser. “I tell patients, while you are in perimenopause, you still require birth control,” she says. “Even though there’s a low risk of pregnancy at this stage, it’s still possible.”
Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and The Menopause Society recommend that women continue contraceptive use until menopause or age 50 to 55 years if they’re looking to prevent pregnancy.
And keep in mind, birth control is not the same thing as safe sex. Even if you can’t get pregnant, you can still get a sexually transmitted infection (STI). According to a 2025 paper, rates of STIs in older adults have risen across the world in recent years. Get checked for STIs regularly and use condoms to reduce the risk.
5. Shrinking Uterine Fibroids
By 50 years of age, as many as 80 percent of women will develop uterine fibroids. These noncancerous growths can range in size from very tiny (undetectable to the human eye) to the size of a grapefruit or even larger. If fibroid symptoms, including pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, and pressure on the bladder, are severe, doctors may recommend surgery.
Although it’s not clear what causes uterine fibroids, female sex hormones play a role in their formation. Estrogen and progesterone may increase the risk of fibroids. For that reason, uterine fibroids often shrink and become less noticeable during and after the menopause transition.
“For women who have been charting fibroid growth and are hoping to avoid surgery, or for those who have heavy periods due to fibroids, menopause is welcome,” says Marcie Richardson, MD, an ob-gyn and menopause expert at Atrius Health in Boston. “For women who have fibroids sitting on their bladder, menopause gives them a break.”
Other uterine fibroid symptoms, such as pelvic pressure or pain, backache, or leg pains, can also improve after menopause.
6. Increased Confidence and Inner Strength
After 50-plus years of life experience, including the ups and downs of relationships, child-rearing, and careers, women are more likely to go after what they want with a greater sense of confidence that they can handle whatever comes their way.
“There are women who have gone through menopause who say, ‘I feel like I know myself more, and I’m more confident in who I am as a woman and a person. I don’t put up with nonsense the way I used to,’” says Millheiser.
“I don’t think that’s menopause related. I think that’s something that comes as we age. We gain that confidence and wisdom, but some women will attribute it to menopause,” she says.
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