What causes menopause?
In most cases, menopause is a natural change that occurs with aging. Some women, however, go through menopause earlier than normal due to health conditions and other factors.
What is menopause?
Menopause is defined as the stage in a woman's life that happens 12 months after your final menstrual period. After menopause, your body produces much less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Your ovaries stop releasing eggs and you can no longer become pregnant.
Uncomfortable symptoms may accompany menopause, but your women’s health provider has treatments and solutions that can make this transition easier.
What are the stages of menopause?
Many women refer to the months or years leading up to their last period as menopause, but menopause actually happens in three stages.
Perimenopause
The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause or the menopausal transition. For most women, perimenopause begins in their mid to late 40s and lasts about four years, although it can be longer for some.
Menopause
True menopause occurs when you stop menstruating permanently. More specifically, a woman is considered to be in menopause after 12 months with no menstrual cycle. In the US, the average age for a woman to reach menopause is 52.
Postmenopause
After menopause, you enter the postmenopause stage. When postmenopause begins, you may experience fewer symptoms associated with menopause. However, your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis increases, so your years after menopause should focus on taking care of your body by eating well, exercising and seeing your provider regularly.
When to see a doctor
Your women’s health specialist can help you manage many symptoms of menopause, so don’t feel like you need to handle this transition alone. If menopause symptoms negatively affect your daily life, schedule an appointment to talk about possible treatment options.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Changing levels of estrogen and progesterone during the menopausal transition can cause a wide range of symptoms. Symptoms of menopause include:
- Anxiety, depression and mood changes
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Irregular periods
- Memory problems and trouble focusing
- Sleep problems related to low levels of progesterone
- Urinary incontinence
- Vaginal atrophy (dryness and irritation)
What long-term health conditions are associated with menopause?
During and after menopause, women’s bodies go through many changes that can trigger certain long-term conditions. It’s important to know that after menopause, women face a higher risk for some diseases and symptoms. Talk to your provider about ways to lower your risk and monitor your health after menopause.
Menopause diagnosis
In most cases, a formal diagnosis of menopause is not necessary, as women notice the signs and symptoms on their own. However, doctors can do blood or urine tests to measure levels of the hormones follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol to determine if you have started perimenopause or have passed menopause.
Menopause treatment
Not all women require treatment for menopause. However, if menopause symptoms are severe or interfering with your quality of life, your women’s health provider can recommend options for treatment.
Find specialized care for menopause
We help you manage menopause with services at a location that fits your needs. We offer several locations for your care, including specialized women’s health centers in North and Central Texas.
Loading locations...
Loading locations...