The Menopause
What is the Menopause?
The menopause quite literally means “stopping of the periods” and
is nature’s way of finishing a woman’s reproductive ability
before moving on to the next stage of her life. Unfortunately the method
of terminating fertility involves the ovaries stopping all their functions,
not just the ability to present eggs each month for fertilising.
As a result the ovaries no longer produce the hormones oestrogen and
progesterone and this leads to various symptoms associated with the menopausal
process.
The average woman passes through the menopause at the age of 51 years,
although the normal range is 46 – 56 years. The process can be
gradual or sudden, taking many years or just happening overnight. Occasionally
it can occur at a much younger age – even in the twenties.
An artificial menopause can be created following surgery – a hysterectomy
with conservation of the ovaries can bring it on several years early
and, of course, removal of the ovaries themselves will produce an “instant”
menopause. A hysterectomy results in cessation of the periods but the
hormones are still produced until the ovaries eventually fail.
