Library of Frequently Asked Questions
Menopause
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when she ceases to menstruate. This is a natural process that results when the ovaries stop producing estrogen, ending the monthly release of an egg. According to the American Medical Association, the production of estrogen usually stops between ages forty and fifty-four, but can stop as late as sixty.
In normal menopause, the menstrual periods may be scant and infrequent before ceasing altogether. Twenty-five percent of women experience no side-effects from menopause, fifty percent experience slight physical and/or mental changes, and the remaining twenty-five percent have inconvenient or distressing symptoms including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, palpitations, joint pain, and headaches. Your doctor may decide to prescribe hormone replacement therapy or other medications to help ease these symptoms.
Due to the loss of estrogen, which helps keep calcium in the bones, post-menopausal women are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis (OSS-tee-o-pore-O- sis). To help guard against this, it’s a good idea to eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of calcium, or your doctor may recommend a supplement. Although menopause signals the end of the childbearing years, a reliable form of birth control should be used for twenty-four months after your last period if you are under fifty years of age and for twelve months after your last period if you are over fifty.
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