Menopause: the facts

Every woman will go through the menopause, but each experience of it is different.
Around 70 of women experience the most common symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats

It doesnt happen at a particular age or last for a fixed period of time, and it can cause a variety of different symptoms, both physical and emotional. The menopause can be an unsettling time in a womans life, while some women go through it with no problems. The menopause is the time when a womans monthly periods stop. It happens because as women age they slowly run out of eggs. Some scientists believe this happens to protect women and their children from the dangers of late childbearing.

!hen will " go through the menopause#

The average age women go through the menopause is 52, but a woman could start to experience menopausal symptomsbetween the ages of 5 and 55. !edical conditions can cause the menopause to happen much earlier, sometimes in a womans 2"s or, in extreme cases, in childhood. This is #nown as premature ovarian failure $%&'(.

Menopause symptoms
)hanges in hormone levels can produce different symptoms. It is estimated that around two thirds of women experience the most common symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats. *ut some women also report psychological symptoms, includingdepression, tiredness, lac# of energy and a reduced interest in sex. +ong,term effects of the menopause include increased ris# ofosteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. 'ind out how to tell if it-s the menopause if you ta#e the contraceptive pill.

$steoporosis after the menopause

*one strength depends on bone tissue density and structure. .educed amounts of minerals in the bone and slower production or replacement of bone cells wea#ens bones. This happens to everybody as they age but the change is faster in women after the menopause. This is why one in three women over,5" has osteoporosis compared with only one in twelve men. &steoporosis increases the ris# of brea#ing bones, especially those in the wrist, hip or spine. &ne in seven *ritish women brea#s a hip after the menopause. .ead how to prevent osteoporosis.

%eart disease after the menopause

)ardiovascular disease is any disease of the heart or blood vessels, including heart attac#s and stro#es, usually caused by bloc#ed arteries. It is the most common cause of death in women over /" and there is evidence to suggest that women are more li#ely to get bloc#ed arteries after the menopause.

Menopause relief

0ormone replacement therapy $0.T( can help protect women from osteoporosis, replacing the oestrogen lost during the menopause and, therefore, protecting bones. 0.T is also good at controlling menopausal symptoms, but it can slightly increase the ris# of developing conditions such asbreast cancer and deep vein thrombosis. )hanging your diet and doing more exercise can also help with symptoms of the menopause. 1ow read how 0.T can help you cope with menopause symptoms.