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Menopause

What is menopause?

Menopause is a natural part of every woman's life. It's the last menstrual period, marking the end of a woman's reproductive years, and most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55.

Menopause symptoms can begin gradually over two to six years before your last menstrual period. Peri-menopause is the time when periods fluctuate until they stop. Not all women suffer from signs of menopause; in fact 20 per cent have no symptoms. Some 60 per cent have mild symptoms, while only 20 per cent suffer severe symptoms.

In her forties or early fifties, it is possible for a woman to experience symptoms like hot flushes or night sweats, even if she still has regular periods. Some women may also experience mood changes for several months or years before periods actually cease. These symptoms may be due to gradual changes in the ovaries and fluctuating oestrogen levels.

The age at which a woman goes through menopause is not influenced by race, height, the age that she experienced her first period, the number of children she has had, or whether she used the contraceptive pill as a method of birth control. However, cigarette smoking can influence the age at which a woman may go through menopause, with smokers and even former smokers reaching menopause an average of two years earlier.

Eventually hormone levels will decrease so that menstruation stops altogether and menopause is reached. Where appropriate, birth control is still needed until you have had one year without a natural period.

Because our Doctors at Healthy Women Medical Centre are also Women they understand the process of Menopause as a specific female issue. With a particular interest in providing you the best care possible Healthy Women Medical Centre can personalise your entire Women's Health needs.

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