DID YOU KNOW…

The average age American women go through menopause is age 51. A small number of women will find that their periods stop prematurely, before age 40.

Background Information

Menopause represents the end of menstruation. While technically it refers to the final menstrual cycle, it is not an abrupt event, but a gradual process. Menopause is complete when a women does not have her period for a year. Symptoms of menopause may include hot flashes, night sweat, insomnia, mood swings/ irritability, depression, headaches, weight gain and much more. (click here for a complete list of possible symptoms)

As a woman gets to her late 30’s and 40’s, her ovaries begin to shut down. Her body produces less estrogen and progesterone, and releases eggs less often. As the levels of hormones (like estrogen) begins to fluctuate, the menstrual cycle begins to change and eventually stops completely.

Today, many women are looking for alternatives to prescribed hormone replacement therapy because studies indicate that it may increase the risk of certain cancers.

Perimenopause (also referred to as premenopause or early menopause) is the 3-4 year phase before menopause actually takes place, when ovarian hormone production is declining and fluctuating, causing a host of symptoms. It occurs for most women between the ages of 35-45. During this time, women may experience more symptoms than during actual menopause. These symptoms may include irregular menstrual periods, hot flashes, increasing vaginal dryness, sleep problems, mood swings, breast tenderness and many other complications.

Postmenopause usually begins 12 months after the last menstrual period and is a time when most of the distress of the menopausal changes have faded. Hot flashes may seem milder or less frequent; energy and emotional levels may seem to have stabilized. The major change that occurs in postmenopause is that estrogen production shifts from the ovaries to the fat cells in a woman’s body.