blood test results

can anyone shead any light on this for me please. I have not had a period since Aug so went to the doctors who did a blood test to determine if I was starting the menopause, I am 43.  Today I was told that the blood test showed that I was post menopause.  As I am out of the country at the moment I am not able to visit my doctor to ask about this.  Does it mean I have been through the menopause????

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

Menopause is preceded by a transition called perimenopause that can last up to 10 years. At some point, blood tests will show that a person is in the perimenopause but no test says absolutely IN menopause. While it is possible you have had your last period, it is often the case that periods will become quite irregular and further and further apart. When the time from your last period is one year, that is the definition of menopause. When you return, you can visit your doctor and ask about things you might want to do, such as get a bone density, go on calcium supplements and a daily multivitamin, consider baby aspirin and treating any symptoms you might have.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD