MENOPAUSE RESOURCE CENTRE

Menopause is the time when a woman permanently stops having menstrual periods. It is not a disease, but merely life's natural transition, from the reproductive to the non-reproductive phase of a woman's life.

However, menopause cannot be satisfactorily defined as a “permanent stopping of menstrual periods” because it is what happens to the ovaries that is key to menopause, as opposed to what happens to the uterus (which is secondary).

To illustrate, let us say the uterus of a young woman is surgically removed. She would no longer be able to have any menstruation, but she is not menopausal, because her ovaries continue to produce hormones. On the other hand, if both her ovaries are removed surgically, or destroyed through chemotherapy, she would immediately be in menopause.

Thus, menopause occurs with the the cessation of hormone production by the ovaries.

MENOPAUSE - ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS

1. MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (see Peri-Menopausal Symptoms)

2. OSTEOPOROSIS

Rapid bone loss occurs during the perimenopausal and postmenopausal years. Bone loss in itself is painless, but it can lead to osteoporosis with increased fracture risk.

3. ISCHAEMIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Non-smoking pre-menopausal women rarely suffer from cardiovascular disease. However, within 10 years of menopause, they catch up with the heart attack incidence of their male counterparts.

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