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What is menopause?

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her period stops. It usually occurs naturally, normally after age 45. Menopause occurs because the female ovary stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

A woman has reached menopause when she has not menstruated for one year. Changes and symptoms can start several years earlier.

These include;

• A change in periods - shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, with more or less time in between (irregular pattern), more or less painful
• Hot flushes and/or night sweats
• Trouble sleeping
• Vaginal dryness
• Mood swings
• Trouble focusing (lack of concentration)
• Less hair on head, more on face (hormone change)
• Tiredness
• Weight gain

Menopause is not a disorder. Most women do not need treatment for it. However, if symptoms are severe, medicines may help. After menopause, women are more vulnerable to bone loss and heart disease. Exercise and eating right can help keep women healthy as they age.

Menopause begins naturally when the ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone (the hormones that regulate menstruation). This process gets under way in late 30s. By this time, fewer potential eggs are ripening in ovaries each month and ovulation is less predictable. Also, the post-ovulation surge in progesterone (the hormone that prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy) becomes less dramatic.

These changes are more definite in the 40s, as are changes in the menstrual pattern. Periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent. Eventually, ovaries will shut down and a woman will not menstruate any more. It is possible that a woman may menstruate every month right up to her last period. However, it is much more likely that it will gradually lessen. Unfortunately, there is no way to know exactly which period will be the last. Most of the time, a woman has to wait until 12 months after official definition (12 months after her last period). In the final months before reaching menopause, it is still possible to get pregnant, but it is quite unlikely.