Overview

The menopause, ‘the change’ or ‘change of life’, is the time when the monthly periods stop and occurs during the late 40’s and early 50’s, the average age of menopause for the UK woman is 51 years. Because the menopause literally means the last menstrual bleed, it cannot be diagnosed until 12 months after the event. The climacteric marks the transition from reproductive to non-reproductive state and is the period of time when menopausal symptoms are experienced, for example, from the start of irregular periods to the end of the hot flushes.

The menopause is not the beginning of the end it is the beginning of the rest of your life. It is a natural milestone in a woman’s life and there is no reason why it should adversely affect her life. Nowadays, there is no need for women to be concerned about the menopause, it does not mark the start of old age, on average women still have one third of their lifetime to live and enjoy after the menopause. Effectively, the menopause marks the end of the ability to have children; it does not make her any less attractive, or any less interesting. How women view the menopause is highly personal and will be related to their beliefs, their own and other women’s experiences, their attitudes to ageing and perceptions of health. There are biological changes which occur at the menopause and many women do not understand the nature of these changes and how they affect their long-term health.

Women vary widely in their experiences of menopausal symptoms, in the severity and the duration of them. The symptoms experienced are often as a result of decreased oestrogen levels in the body, though not necessarily exclusively.

As the menopause approaches, the ovaries begin to fail and there is a drop in the female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, which causes the periods to stop. The stopping of periods is only one symptom of the falling levels of female hormones, particularly oestrogen, and nearly all symptoms associated with the menopause can be explained by the falling levels of oestrogen.

The perimenopause is the term used to describe the time when a woman first notices ‘menopausal’ symptoms until 12 months after the last menstrual period. This phase can last several years but on average is experienced for 2-3 years. This is the time when a woman may notice changes in her periods, initially they may become heavier and last longer, later becoming irregular with longer gaps between, some women may experience lighter periods. Rarely, periods will stop without warning.