Menopause – what is it exactly? For so many years, it has been referred to our symptoms as if menopause is a dis-ease. It is not! It is a natural part of life.
I feel we have been conditioned to dread it and think it is going to be very unpleasant for us and everyone around us. If that is what we are expecting, then that is how it will be.
Menopause is the name given to the time in a woman’s life when she stops menstruating. It is the reverse of puberty. The major physical change is that the ovaries slow down in the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This means the ovaries stop releasing eggs, periods stop and she can no longer have children.
Isn’t that a blessing when you reach this age? You don’t have to worry about getting pregnant, birth control or not being able to be spontaneous.
There is a period of time before menopause starts called perimenopause. This stage usually starts around age 45 and ends around 50 to 52 years of age.
Menopause is when a woman under the age of 50 has no periods for two years, and no periods for one year in a woman over the age of 50.
Post-menopause is the time between the end of fertility and the end of a woman’s life. Of course, these ages are just averages.
