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Menopause

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

10 Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Menopause

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor:
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

10 Menopause Questions to Ask Your DoctorNote: We recommend you print this page to use as a reference for your consultation with your doctor.

  1. Could my symptoms be due to a condition other than menopause? (Be ready with a diary of symptoms - the character, frequency, duration, intensity, triggers, etc.)

  2. What are the medications that I might consider to control my menopause symptoms? Are there lifestyle or other modifications I can make to help alleviate the symptoms?

  3. If I choose to use hormone therapy, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the various routes of administration (pill, patch, cream, vaginal, etc.)?

What is menopause?

Menopause is the absence of menstrual periods for 12 months. The menopausal transition starts with varying menstrual cycle length and ends with the final menstrual period. Perimenopause means "the time around menopause" and is often used to refer to the menopausal transitional period. It is not officially a medical term, but is sometimes used to explain certain aspects of the menopause transition in lay terms. Postmenopause is the entire period of time that comes after the last menstrual period.

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when the function of the ovaries ceases. The ovary, or female gonad, is one of a pair of reproductive glands in women. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond. The ovaries produce eggs (ova) and female hormones such as estrogen. During each monthly menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one ovary. The egg travels from the ovary through a Fallopian tube to the uterus.

The ovaries are the main source of female hormones, which control the development of female body characteristics such as the breasts, body shape, and body hair. The hormones also regulate the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Estrogens also protect the bone. Therefore, a woman can develop osteoporosis (thinning of bone) later in life when her ovaries do not produce adequate estrogen.

Perimenopause is different for each woman. Scientists are still trying to identify all the factors that initiate and influence this transition period.



Next: At what age does a woman typically reach menopause? »

Menopause - Symptoms Experienced

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What symptoms did you experience with approaching menopause?

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