Definition of Natural menopause
Menopause, natural: Natural menopause occurs when the ovaries naturally
decrease their production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone; there are
no menstrual periods for 12
consecutive months; and no other biological or physiological cause can account
for this.
Menopause is the end of the childbearing years. (It is
important to remember that until 12 months have passed without a period, a woman
may still become pregnant).
Natural menopause is as opposed to induced menopause. Induced menopause
occurs when the ovaries are surgically removed (by bilateral oophorectomy) or
are damaged by radiation or drugs.
Due to the abrupt cutoff of ovarian hormones, induced menopause causes the
sudden onset of hot flashes and other
menopause-related symptoms such as a vaginal dryness and a decline in sex drive.
A woman can usually tell if she is approaching menopause
because her menstrual periods start changing. The medical terms used to describe
this time are the "menopause transition" and "perimenopause". The changes of the
menopause transition (perimenopause) begin several years before the natural
menopause when the levels of hormones produced by the aging ovaries fluctuate leading to
irregular menstrual patterns (irregularity in the length of the period, the time
between periods, and the level of flow) and hot flashes (a sudden warm feeling
with blushing).
Other changes associated with the menopause (natural or
induced) include night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, fluctuations in sexual desire
(libido), forgetfulness, trouble sleeping and fatigue, probably from
loss of sleep. The timing of natural menopause is variable. In the western world the
average age is now 51.
There is no relation between the time of a woman's first period and her age
at menopause. The age at menopause is not influenced by a woman's race, height,
number of children or use of oral contraceptives.
Last Editorial Review: 1/14/2009Common Misspellings: natural menapause
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