Menopause is a normal part of aging for women and is marked by the cessation of a period for one year. This occurs when women stop producing the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are needed for menstruation to occur.   

Symptoms of menopause include mood swings, body temperature changes, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and night sweats, just to name a few. Many women develop symptoms up to 4 years prior, during the stage before menopause, called perimenopause. On the other hand, during postmenopause, the phase that occurs after menopause, many symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings will ease. However, these are also the years that most increase your risk of developing health conditions due to loss of estrogen such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

The average age women hit menopause is 51 years, but can occur anytime between age 45 and 55. There is a small number of women who experienced menopause prior to age 40, or between the ages of 40 and 45. This is referred to as early menopause.

Experts believe that reaching menopause is genetically determined, but certain factors could affect when you’ll have it. Oftentimes, lifestyle and existing medical conditions could lead to early menopause. In this section we will cover what you need to know about menopause, how to manage symptoms, ways to reduce risk post menopause, and how to optimize your well being and health during this phase of life.