What is menopause?

Menopause occurs naturally when your ovaries stop producing estrogen. This can also occur due to medical or surgical conditions, such as removal of your ovaries (oophorectomy) with or without the removal of your uterus (hysterectomy), due to chemotherapy or pelvic radiation, or some medications.

Menopause is clinically diagnosed as 12 months without a period (when it occurs naturally). There are no blood, saliva or urine tests that can predict when you will complete this menopause transition. The time leading up to your Final Menstrual Period (FMP), often marked by irregular periods and symptoms such as hot flashes/nights sweats (AKA “Vasomotor Symptoms” or “VMS”) is known as perimenopause. Perimenopause can last up to ten years in some women.

When does menopause happen?

The average age in developed countries of menopause is 51, but keep in mind this is the average, meaning some women will complete their menopause transition much later or much sooner. If menopause occurs prior to age 40, it is known as “Premature Ovarian Insufficiency”. If it occurs ages 40-45, then is is known as “early menopause.”

What are the symptoms of menopause?

Not every woman will experience every symptom associated with menopause, and every woman will experience the symptoms she does have with varying frequency and severity, with a varying impact on her day-to-day quality of life as well as potential effects of her long-term health. African American women are more likely to experience early menopause, have more severe symptoms, and have a longer duration of menopausal symptoms.

Symptoms of menopause may occur anywhere in the body or brain, because women have estrogen receptors throughout their bodies. Symptoms may include brain fog, word-finding difficulty, concentration issues, memory concerns, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dry skin/eyes/mouth, burning mouth, mood fluctuations, irritability, rage, anxiety, depression, “not feeling like myself”, fatigue, insomnia or other sleep issues, vasomotor symptoms (“VMS”, meaning hot flashes and night sweats), heart palpitations, bowel and/or bladder habit changes, joint pain/arthritis/frozen shoulder, sexual symptoms such as low libido, painful intercourse, decreased sensation/ability to achieve orgasm, weight gain/difficulty losing weight, and a constellation of symptoms known as the Genito-urinary Syndrome of Menopause (“GSM”) which can include more frequent vaginal and/or urinary tract infections, vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse and urinary incontinence.