Understanding menopause

Many women put off learning about menopause until well into their 40’s or 50’s. The good news is, it’s never too late to start making sense of menopause. 

Menopause is sometimes called ‘the change of life’ or ‘the change’. 

Medically speaking, it’s when you have no menstrual periods for a full 12 months. The average age of menopause in Australian women is 51 years (normal range from 45 – 55 years).

But menopause is more than just the end of regular periods. It’s also the term people use to refer to changes and symptoms in the lead-up to — and following — menopause. These symptoms can interfere with daily activities and quality of life.

A challenging time in a woman’s life — the stages of menopause

Perimenopause

Meaning ‘around menopause’:
the years leading up to menopause

Irregular periods

Female hormone levels change, causing symptoms of menopause

Menopause

Your period stops for good
(no period for 12 months)

Ovulation ends

Postmenopause

The symptoms of menopause continue

Some symptoms may become less bothersome or disappear altogether.

Lower oestrogen levels may increase your risk of particular heart and bone-related conditions.

When and how long

What to expect with
menopause symptoms

The timing and nature of physical changes and symptoms during menopause differs from woman to woman. The symptoms can start in perimenopause and continue through to postmenopause. 
  • Most women will have some symptoms during menopause.
  • Menopause symptoms can last an average of 7 years (from 5 to 10 years)
  • Around 1 in 5 women report having symptoms that interfere with daily activities.

The natural causes
of menopause

Menopause is linked to changing hormone levels in the body. Changes in reproductive hormones like oestrogen are the root cause of many of the main symptoms of menopause.

Oestrogen levels generally rise from ages 20 to 30 years and then drop off from ages 40 to 50. Falling oestrogen levels drive many of the symptoms of menopause.

Oestrogen hormone levels
perimenopause
menopause
postmenopause

Egg follicles within ovaries are the main producers of oestrogen. Oestrogen levels drop because the number of eggs dwindles over time. Without oestrogen, periods stop. For most women, menopause happens when there are no eggs left.

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Understanding menopause

The 3 most common symptoms of menopause

Every woman faces her own journey through the stages of menopause, with her own set of symptoms to deal with.

A sudden feeling of warmth that spreads through your chest, neck, and face

Hot flushes that happen at night, often with excessive sweating

Difficulty falling and staying asleep, or early morning and nocturnal awakenings.

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