What is menopause?

Menopause is the term used to describe the physical change in a woman in which she moves from the ability to bear children to the inability to bear children. Women are born with a specific number of eggs. As these eggs are released and the woman ages, the woman naturally moves closer to menopause. After the last egg is released from the ovaries, there is little to no use for the monthly process of preparing and then shedding of the endometrial lining (the lining of the uterus).  Therefore, the female body stops producing the hormones needed to create and then shed that lining in addition to the hormones used for ovulation. The most common symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, weight gain, inability to conceive children, reduction in sex drive, dry vaginal area and cessation of menstrual cycle.

What age does menopause occur?

There is no set age for menopause to begin, but generally speaking, perimenopause often begins as early as 45 years of age. Perimenopause is the onset of menopausal symptoms. These symptoms will first appear sporadically with fewer and fewer menstrual cycles happening each year. This is often when women ask their obstericians the question, "what is menopause?".

In a growing number of cases, women find themselves asking what is menopause earlier in life thanks to complete surgical hysterectomies. Unlike natural menopause, complete surgical menopause causes the sudden onset of menopausal symptoms due to the removal of the uterus and the ovaries. If the ovaries are left intact, the female hormones will continue being released and natural menopause may not occur early.

How will I know when menopause is approaching?

There are both physical and psychological changes that take place in the body as menopause approaches. The first physical symptom is most often a change in the pattern of the menstrual cycle. The cycles will often become less heavy and the time between the cycles will lengthen. Some women experience one or two menstrual cycles a year for the last few child bearing years. Other physical changes to look for include difficulty sleeping, itchy skin, fatigue, achy joints, incontinence, breast tenderness, indigestion, gas and nausea.

Women asking what is menopause are often surprised to find out there are psychological symptoms associated with menopause. These psychological symptoms can be directly related to the hormonal changes or related to the fear associated with losing the ability to bear children. Some women approach menopause with the feeling they will be less of a woman once they are unable to have children. In addition, menopause can cause feelings of depression, loss of memory, anxiety, irritability and mood swings.

Perimenopause, or the time between the onset of menopause and full menopause, can last anywhere from five to fifteen years. The symptoms of menopause can begin as early as 35 years of age.

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