“Menopause or not?”

You probably will be fine stopping contraception. To be sure do AMH, FSH,E2 and LH . If FSH and LH are high then you are probably in menopause and can stop using contraception

No, no, wait for 12 consecutive months.

Technically your 12 months needs to restart with that bleeding, but let your doctor know if that bleeding persists. Based on age and only that one episode of bleeding you should be safe with no birth control

Your question is timeless, and used to be Russian roulette until women realized that they could ask their doctor to check their female and male hormone levels. Many docs will only do an FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) test and tell you it’s the menopause test, but IT’S NOT!!!! In fact, our female hormone levels swing up and down and we can have 12 months of ‘no periods,’ then our body can actually kick back in for anywhere from 2-6 months with return of ovarian function. I call this the ‘Last Hurrah’ as it’s almost the last gasp of the ovaries before they stop functioning, but the timing is tricky and it’s different for every woman. Average age of menopause in the US is 50.5yo, but some women will stop and start and have ovarian function until as late as 58yo so nothing is for certain. I highly encourage you to get ahold of my book, Full Bloom; Perimenopause, Menopause, Post-menopause and Beyond. There is a section at the end of the book about how to talk to your doctor and how to ask for the appropriate blood tests that you want them to draw for you. But for now, I’d recommend that you still use some form of contraception until you know for sure; there are a lot of oops babies out there.

Most likely you are in menopause. If you want to make sure, you could get an FSH test.