Menopause
The word menopause literally means the permanent physiological, or natural,
cessation of menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots 'meno-' (month) and 'pausis'
(a pause, a cessation). In other words, menopause means the natural and
permanent stopping of the monthly female reproductive cycles, which is usually
manifest as a permanent absence of monthly periods or menstruation.
The word menopause is most often used in regard to human females, where
menopause happens more or less in midlife, signaling the end of the fertile
phase of a woman's life, and ushering in the third, traditionally wiser, part of
a woman's life. Menopause is perhaps most easily understood as the opposite
process to menarche.
Menopause in women cannot however simply be defined as the permanent "stopping
of the monthly periods", because in reality what is happening to the uterus is
quite secondary to the process. In fact the uterus can be surgically removed
(hysterectomy) in a younger woman, and although the periods will cease
permanently and the woman will technically be infertile, as long as the ovaries
(or one ovary) are, or is, still functioning, the woman will not be in
menopause, because ovulation, and the release of the sequence of reproductive
hormones that are an essential part of the reproductive cycles, will continue
until the normal time of menopause is reached.
Menopause is in fact triggered by the faltering and shutting down (or surgical
removal of) of the ovaries, which are a part of the body's endocrine system of
hormone production, in this case the hormones which make sexual behavior and
reproduction possible.
The process of the ovaries shutting down is a phenomenon which involves the
entire cascade of a woman's reproductive functioning from brain to skin, and
this major physiological event usually has some effect on almost every aspect of
a woman's body and life.
Age Of Onset
The average age of menopause is 51 years, and the normal age range for last
period ever is somewhere between age 45 to 55. Age 55 to 60 for last period ever
is described as a "late menopause". An "early menopause" is defined as last
period ever between the age of 40 to 45.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause means the menopause transition years, the years both before and
after the last period ever, when the majority of women find that they undergo at
least some symptoms of hormonal change and fluctuation, such as hot flashes,
mood changes, insomnia, fatigue, etc.
Premenopause
Premenopause is a word used to describe the years leading up to the last period
ever, when the levels of reproductive hormones are already becoming lower and
more erratic, and symptoms of hormone withdrawal may be present.
Postmenopause
Postmenopause is all of the time in a woman's life that take place after her
last period ever, or more accurately, all of the time that follows the point
when her ovaries become inactive.
Symptoms
Vasomotor instability
hot flashes, hot flushes, including night sweats
sleep disturbances
Urogenital atrophy
itching
dryness
bleeding
watery discharge
urinary frequency
urinary urgency
urinary incontinence
Skeletal
osteoporosis gradually developing over time
joint pain, muscle pain
back pain
Skin, soft tissue
breast atrophy
skin thinning
decreased elasticity
formication, a sensation of pins and needles, or ants crawling on or under the
skin
Psychological
mood disturbance
irritability
fatigue
memory loss
depression
Sexual
decreased libido
vaginal dryness
problems reaching orgasm
dyspareunia