'Cougar Puberty' explained as new name is coined for dreaded phase of life

There are certain life stages that women reach during their lives, but ‘Cougar Puberty’ is the latest term to be coined.

This new term has been coined on TikTok (like many other things) and it’s being met with varied responses.

As a woman, you’ll go through the Maiden, Mother and Crone phases, but that’s oversimplifying what it really means.

Maiden often refers to pre-puberty, Mother is post-puberty and childbirth and then Crone is after menopause.

But what about the in-between bits between post-puberty and menopause?

Social media users have 'reinvented' a life stage for women (Getty Stock Image)

That’s when perimenopause typically occurs.

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the years leading up to menopause, which can bring on a range of symptoms such as changes in your menstrual cycle, hot flushes and night sweats, headaches, dizziness, vaginal dryness, incontinence and bladder problems, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, difficulty sleeping and then there can be mental health problems, too.

Anxiety and depression are common for those who are perimenopausal, thanks to the hormone changes, which can make this time of life very difficult.

It generally happens between the ages of 45 and 55 and can last between several months and a few years before menopause takes hold.

However, during perimenopause, your hormone levels change and your ovaries start to produce fewer eggs, you might continue to have your period during this time, too.

Once you’ve not had a period for 12 months, you’re officially menopausal.

Some people can experience perimenopause before 40, which is then considered to be early-onset perimenopause.

But never one to allow people to wallow, many TikTok users are now calling this stage ‘Cougar Puberty’ - when women enter their sexy later-life stage.

They're calling it 'Cougar Puberty' (Getty Stock Image)

“You know what the cool kids are calling it now?” a user called @radiant.rewind said in a now-viral video.

“Cougar puberty,” she added. “I love the reset vibe for us rather than the game over.”

What is 'Cougar Puberty'?

Essentially, it means that perimenopausal women are entering their attractive middle-age time in their lives, and many women are all for it.

One person wrote: “I’m 37 and in the full-blown throws (throes) of perimenopause, and I’ve always said it’s like a second puberty.”

“I’ve been calling it reverse puberty,” another commented, while a third said: “Similar to the first time around in that it just sneaks up on you and no one told you anything about it. I prefer this name, though. Thank you.”

Last year, a TikToker called Lisa also shared how she prefers the term over perimenopausal.

She said: “Actually, I feel like I’m going through puberty, but with a whole bunch of different symptoms.

“And I feel like I’m going crazy, and all these things are happening to my body that I really don’t understand.”

Another creator called @Peace_Love_GenX said she’d also be referring to menopause by the new trending name.

“I was today years old when I heard somebody call menopause a cougar puberty, and now I’ll never call it anything else,” she wrote in the text over the video.

So, it seems that many women are opting to reinvent this stage of their lives.