Fundamental Information On What Is Menopause
What is menopause? If the menstrual cycle has a beginning called menarche, it also has an end that is called menopause. The etymology of the word menopause comes from the two Greek words "meno" which means month and "pausis" which means pause or stop. Thus, physiologically speaking, menopause means the cessation of a woman's monthly cycle also known as the menstrual cycle. This signifies that the phase when a woman is fertile has already ended.
What Is Menopause: Age Of Onset
The average age of women experiencing the onset of menopause is 55 years old but it can happen during the ages 45 to 55. However, onset may be at age 40 which is considered as early menopause or 60 years which is called as late menopause.
There are also instances when menopause occurs at ages earlier than 40. It can occur from the age of puberty to age 40. This is called premature menopause. This condition can be credited to the ineffective functioning of the ovaries.
What Is Menopause: Causes
There are a couple of reasons why menopause occurs. First is the natural cause which is usually related to aging. This is a natural process that happens to every normal woman. When a woman reaches a certain age, almost all the oocytes in the ovaries experience atresia. This dwindling down in the number of oocytes will cause an increase in the number of FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) and LH (Luteinizing Hormone) which will affect estrogen production and will then eventually lead to menopause.
There are, however, several possibilities that even without reaching the usual menopausal age, a girl or a woman can experience menopause. A very common cause of this is surgery. There are certain surgical procedures like oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) that can lead to what is called a surgical menopause.
What Is Menopause: Symptoms
When menopause occurs, a lot of gradual changes are happening to the body. With these changes, the body also needs to adapt. Usually this can cause several symptoms to manifest. One of the most common symptoms among women experiencing menopause is the lack of energy. They tend to easily get more tired than usual and have no interest doing any other activities.
Vasomotor symptoms are also experienced by menopausal women. This includes palpitations and hot flashes. Menopause can also affect psychologically and may cause irritability, mood swings, anxiety, lack of concentration and depression.
Summary:
What is menopause? Simply put, it is the cessation of a woman's menstrual cycle either naturally or surgically.
