Menopausal Transition

Menopause overview

Menopause Basics

  • Menopause is an inevitable phase in every woman’s life as her reproductive years come to an end.
  • It is defined as the time when a woman has gone without a period for 12 months in a row.
  • It occurs due to a gradual decline in reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone, because of natural aging.
  • Menopause can also be induced through surgery, like hysterectomy, or certain medications.
  • The average age of menopause is 51.
  • Perimenopause, which can last from 2 to 10 years, is when most intense menopause symptoms occur, including irregular periods, hot flashes, and night sweats.
  • A year after the last period, a woman is referred to as postmenopausal.
  • Postmenopausal women should be cautious of complications such as heart disease and osteoporosis.

Causes of Menopause

Menopause happens as a result of a decline of hormones due to natural aging. As women age, the supply of their ovarian eggs, which are the main producers of key reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone, gradually decreases until it reaches total depletion. With no eggs being released, no hormonal production, and no periods occurring for 12 consecutive months, a woman is said to have entered natural menopause.

Estrogen levels through reproductive stages

Finding Relief & Treatment

Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy Lifestyle

Women are generally encouraged to approach entering the menopausal transition the most natural and least invasive way.

Healthy lifestyle practices that have shown beneficial in relieving the symptoms of menopause include:

Medications

Medications

Because of serious health risks involved with menopause medications, their use is typically reserved for the most severe symptoms.

Medications for alleviating menopause symptoms include:

Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies

Various phytoestrogenic and hormone-balancing herbs have been found to effectively reduce the severity of menopause symptoms.

Considered one of the safest and most effective ways to balance hormone levels naturally, they include:


The best way to find treatment for menopause symptoms is to first start with the most natural and non-invasive approaches.

Treatments for menopause

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