Table 1.

STRAW Criteria and Corresponding Gonadal Hormone Fluctuations. Adapted from Harlow et al. (2012), (20–25)

Phase	Pre-Menop ause/Reproductive				Perimenopause		Postmenopause
STRAW + 10 Stage	−5	−4	−3b	−3a	−2	−1	+1a	+1b	+1c	+2
Menstrual Cycle Pattern	Variable to regular	Regular	Regular	Subtle changes in flow/length	≥7 days variability in cycle length	≥60 days of amenorrhea	1–2 years since FMP	1–2 years since FMP	>1 year since FMP	>1 year since FMP
Estradiol	E2 rises in the mid-follicular phase, followed by a secondary peak in the mid-luteal, and decreases during late-luteal into early follicular				E2 levels been to rise and fluctuate	High, fluctuating E2 levels	Decreasing E2 levels	Decreasing E2 levels	Low, stable E2 levels	Low, stable E2 levels
Progesterone	P4 rises in the mid-luteal phase, followed by a decrease into low steady levels in the late luteal and follicular				Luteal P4 levels decreasing gradually	Luteal P4 levels decreasing gradually	Luteal P4 levels decreasing gradually	P4 levels remain low, yet detectable	P4 levels remain low, yet detectable	P4 levels remain low, yet detectable