True – Menopause means the permanent end of menstruation.

“Menopause officially kicks in when the ovaries produce so little estrogen that eggs are no longer released,” Bolinjkar says. “This causes your period to stop. If a woman does not have a period for one year then she is menopausal by definition.”

False – Menopause that occurs before the age of 40 is considered premature. Menopause usually occurs sometime between age 45 and 55, but the average age is 51, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). However, because of genetics, illness or medical procedures, some women go through menopause before the age of 40.

True – If you smoke, you may go through menopause about one and a half years earlier than women who do not smoke, according to the National Institutes of Health. Although commonly implicated, autoimmune disorders or the age at which a woman’s mother entered menopause does not cause premature menopause.

False – These are all common symptoms of perimenopause. While menopause shares a few of these symptoms, you will not experience a period (regular or irregular) during menopause.

True – During perimenopause, some doctors suggest birth control pills to help with very heavy, frequent, or unpredictable menstrual periods. These pills might also help with symptoms like hot flashes, as well as preventing pregnancy, because there is still a slight chance you could become pregnant.

True – “Although the ovaries stop producing estrogen during menopause, they continue to produce testosterone, which is converted into estrogen in body fat,” Bolinjkar says. “As there is a decline in the hormones produced, it increases the risk of certain medical conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, incontinence, depression, vaginal dryness and weight gain.”

True – “Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used usually after menopause if symptoms seem to be more dramatic than normal or if they negatively impact the patient’s life, and can give wonderful results. But it has to be regulated and monitored appropriately,” says Bolinjkar. “Women with mild symptoms or with certain risk factors, such as being previously diagnosed with breast cancer or thromboembolism, can opt-out of hormone replacement therapy.”

True – A new study shows that most women experience hot flashes for an average of seven years, although they may last as many as 10 years or more. Some good news is that HRT can improve symptoms about 75 percent of the time.

False – While you may feel more likely to gain weight during menopause, hormonal changes alone don’t necessarily cause weight gain.

“Many women experience weight gain beyond age 40 and 50,” Bolinjkar says “This can be due to the natural process of aging, genetics and lifestyle, and not solely from menopause. Healthy eating and exercise are essential to maintaining body weight.”

False – Postmenopause refers to the years after menopause, or after not having had a period for more than 12 months. During this time, menopausal symptoms can ease for many women, but due to continued decreases in estrogen levels, symptoms can still linger — sometimes for years.