Menopause

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation (having a period) ends. It is part of a biological process that begins, for most women, in their mid-thirties. Menopause is defined as the time when there has been no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or physiological cause can be identified. It is the end of fertility, the end of the childbearing years.

During this time, the ovaries gradually produce lower levels of natural sex hormones—estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen promotes the normal development of a woman's breasts and uterus, controls the cycle of ovulation (when an ovary releases an egg into a fallopian tube), and affects many aspects of a woman's physical and emotional health. Progesterone controls menstruation and prepares the lining of the uterus to receive the fertilized egg.

Induced menopause occurs if the ovaries are surgically removed or damaged by radiation or drugs. Due to the abrupt cutoff of ovarian hormones, induced menopause causes the sudden onset of hot flashes and other menopause-related symptoms such as a dry vagina and a decline in sex drive.

The most typical age range for menopause (last period) is between the ages of 45 and 55 and the average age for last period ever is 51 years.