Menopause - An Overview of The Basics

Menopause is characterized by the cessation of menstrual periods in adult females. A woman has reached menopause when she has not had her menstrual period for twelve consecutive months and no biological or physiological cause has been identified. This signifies the end of her ability to get pregnant. It is a normal change in the body of a woman. Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. However, menopause has also occurred in women in their 30s and even in their 60s. A sign that a woman is approaching menopause is when the length of each menstrual cycle begins to vary. There is no way to determine when a woman will enter menopause. But it is generally accepted that a woman will enter menopause at about the same age as her mother. In addition, the age at which a woman begins to have menstrual periods is not related to the age of the onset of menopause. Menopause occurs because the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone. These hormones regulate the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Estrogen also protects bones. Therefore, the lack of estrogen can make a woman more vulnerable to osteoporosis.

The most common symptom of menopause is a change in the menstrual cycle, but there are other symptoms to look out for including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness and itching, heavy bleeding, fatigue, depression, headaches, weight gain and memory loss.

Menopause occurs in a series of four stages: premenopause, perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. Premenopause is the reproductive stage. This stage lasts from her first period to her last period. Perimenopause is the stage that precedes menopause and usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 60. This stage can begin up to ten years before the occurrence of the final menstrual period. In this stage, there are irregularities in the menstrual cycle as well as symptoms of early menopause. The irregularities might include: the length of the period, the time between periods and the level of bleeding. During this time, the woman will become less able to get pregnant. The menopause stage occurs when a woman has her last menstrual period. Her last menstrual period is confirmed when she does not have a period for twelve consecutive months.

There are three categories of menopause: natural, artificial and premature. The majority of women have natural menopause. The cause of natural menopause is aging and a reduction in the estrogen and progesterone produced from the ovaries. Artificial menopause occurs because of a medical procedure such as a hysterectomy, radiation treatment to the pelvis, or the surgical removal of the ovaries. Premature menopause happens to a woman who has had her final menstrual period before reaching the age of 40. This category of menopause occurs because of autoimmune diseases, smoking, genetic factors or exposure to chemicals. This occurs in about one percent of women. Postmenopause is the stage that occurs after the final menstrual period. In this stage, the decline in hormone levels may cause health problems such as heart disease or osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women are two to three times more likely to get coronary heart disease than women of the same age who have not reached menopause.

If you want to alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause, you can try hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT has been shown to be an effective treatment for hot flashes and osteoporosis. However, use of HRT has also been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. You should check with your doctor before considering the use of HRT.