Menopause

Many women discover that menopause gives them a new lease on life — physically, emotionally, sexually, and spiritually. They are enthusiastic about becoming free of their concerns about pregnancy and menstruation.

However, some women dread reaching menopause. They feel it is an affliction that will make them unattractive, lonely, helpless, and useless. They may mourn the loss of their fertility and youth. Women may experience a wide range of feelings, from anxiety and discomfort to release and relief.

But the truth is that for most women menopause is not about extremes before, during, or after. Most adapt to the changes and continue to live well and remain healthy through these transitions.

If you are like most of today's women, you will live a third of your life after menopause. Planned Parenthood urges you to educate yourself, stay informed, and plan ahead for this time of challenges and opportunities. It could be one of the most rewarding and enriching times of your life.

Menopause is the time at "midlife" when a woman has her last period. It happens when the ovaries stop releasing eggs — usually a gradual process. Sometimes it happens all at once.

Perimenopause is the period of gradual changes that lead into menopause. It affects a woman's hormones, body, and feelings. It can be a stop-start process that may take months or years. "Climacteric" is another word for the time when a woman passes from the reproductive to the non-reproductive years of her life.

The ovaries' production of estrogen slows down during perimenopause. Hormone levels fluctuate, causing changes just as they did during adolescence. The changes leading to menopause may seem much more intense than those during puberty. The intensity may be affected by a woman's feelings about aging, including her reactions to social judgments about aging.

Induced menopause occurs if the ovaries are removed or damaged during surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. In this case, menopause begins immediately, with no perimenopause.

The time after menopause is called postmenopause.

As most women approach menopause, their menstrual periods become irregular — they happen closer together and/or further apart. Other common symptoms include

• Achy joints
• Changes in sexual desire
• Conditions commonly associated with PMS — premenstrual syndrome
• Extreme sweating
• Frequent urination
• Headaches
• Hot flashes
• Insomnia
• Mood changes
• Night sweats
• Problems with sleeping
• Temporary and minor decrease in the ability to concentrate or recall
• Vaginal dryness

A woman may have one, some, or none of these symptoms. Symptoms can be very unpredictable and disturbing if a woman doesn't know they are related to menopause.

A woman's experiences during menopause may also be influenced by other life changes

• A anxiety about loss of independence, disability, or loneliness
• Changes in domestic, social, and personal relationships
• Changes in identity and body image
• Children leaving home
• Divorce or widowhood
• Increased anxiety about illness, aging, and death
• Increased responsibility for aging parents
• Loss of friends, loved ones, and financial security
• Retirement

Increasing numbers of perimenopausal women also have young children to care for.

Whatever the cause or circumstance, the conditions women experience before and after menopause are very real and sometimes need medical attention. While 10-15 percent of American women experience no symptoms of menopause, another 10-15 percent become physically or emotionally disabled for various periods of time by some of these symptoms of life changes. And all women face increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis after menopause.