What is Menopause?

For many women the word menopause comes with a feeling of dread and confusion.

Social media is awash with misinformation and scare mongering – take this supplement, wear this patch – but what does menopause actually mean?

Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her periods stop as a result of the reduction and loss of ‘ovarian reproductive function’, according to the British Menopause Society.

Ovaries produce the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

When a woman approaches the menopause, less estrogen is produced causing her body to behave differently. This process is usually a gradual one that progresses over several years.

Estrogen also plays an important role in maintaining bone and heart health as well as brain function during the reproductive years.

The menopause usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age – but some women can experience symptoms as early as their 30s. There are also ethnic differences, with Black and South/Southeast Asian women experiencing the onset around the age of 47, compared to the average age of white women in the UK being 51.

It is defined as when a woman has had no periods for one year or more. Before then a woman will experience ‘early perimenopause’ and ‘late perimenopause’ and prior to that, the ‘late reproductive’ phase.

During early perimenopause, women experience a change in menstrual cycle pattern. They may start experiencing menopausal symptoms alongside cycle changes, most commonly by about 7 days from their norm.
Subsequently, in late perimenopause, many women experience worsening of their menopausal symptoms.

Menstrual cycles become less frequent, with periods sometimes a few months apart, leading to amenorrhea (the absense of a menstrual bleed).

Prior to perimenopause, the late reproductive phase may see subtle changes in cycle and variable follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). It is not described as part of the menopause transition, but some individuals may be aware of subtle hormonal fluctuations.