Menopause, << MEHN uh pawz, >> is the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual periods stop. Most women have their last menstrual period between the ages of 45 and 55. The last menstrual period marks the end of a woman’s natural childbearing years. Menopause is often called the change of life.
The term menopause technically refers to a woman’s final menstrual period. However, the term is also commonly used to refer to the female climacteric, a period of 7 to 10 years of gradual changes in the body that lead to and follow the end of menstruation. The climacteric ends 1 year after a woman’s last period. The end of menstruation before the age of 40 is premature and should be discussed with a physician.
Menopause results from a decline in the function of the ovaries, two organs that produce the egg cells and hormones needed for reproduction. As a woman grows older, her ovaries secrete increasingly smaller amounts of estrogen and progesterone, hormones that play a major role in the menstrual cycle. Eventually, levels of these hormones drop so low that menstruation ceases.
Symptoms of menopause vary greatly from woman to woman. In most women, menstruation becomes less and less regular for several months or years before ending. However, vaginal bleeding between periods may indicate a serious problem. Most menopausal women experience hot flashes, sudden feelings of heat, often followed by sweat and chills. Hot flashes that occur during sleep are called night sweats. As estrogen levels decrease, the lining of the vagina becomes thinner and drier. This condition can cause discomfort during sexual intercourse and can contribute to vaginal infections. Vaginal lubricants may relieve discomfort.
In addition to physical symptoms, many women have mood changes during menopause. However, the relationship between hormonal changes and emotions is unclear. Various other factors—such as the aging process and changes in lifestyle—may also affect emotions.
After menopause, a woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis and heart disease increases greatly. Osteoporosis is the weakening of bones through the loss of bone tissue. Scientists long thought this loss occurred due to the decline of estrogens in the body. Physicians often prescribed hormone therapy to relieve or prevent many menopausal symptoms and to reduce the risk of disease after menopause. Such therapy involves the use of drugs that contain forms of estrogen and progesterone. In 2002, however, a study by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that extended use of hormone therapy was not effective in preventing disease. Medical experts still recommend hormone therapy for treating symptoms related to menopause but suggest that physicians limit the therapy to the shortest term possible.
