Let me state right up front that while menopause is an undeniable reality for all women, men experience their own version of menopause as well. I will discuss male menopause later in this article.

There are some people for whom just the mention of the word menopause is reason to scream, or yell, or cry, or deny. For these women, menopause only means they have OFFICIALLY gotten old. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Menopause is a complicated issue. If you don't believe that this is one of the most complicated and most frequently discussed issues today, just GOOGLE "menopause". But don't be surprised, though, when you discover over 20 million hits. YIKES! Here, I will try to break it down for you.

According to EveryDayHealth.com, menopause is defined as "the first anniversary of a woman's final menstrual period - a natural consequence of the drop in ovarian hormone levels that usually occurs around age 50". According to familydoctor.org, menopause is defined as "the time in a woman's life when the function of the ovaries ceases." According to healthline.com menopause is defined as "the transition period in a woman's life when her ovaries stop producing eggs, her body produces less estrogen and progesterone, and menstruation becomes less frequent, eventually stopping altogether."

There are about as many different definitions of menopause as there are women. But they amount to the same thing. Menopause is a natural occurrence which will happen to every woman everywhere on the planet.

Menopause (which technically means "last menstruation") is not a quick process and can take several years to complete. It begins and ends at different times for different woman. Some women begin their menopause journey (perimenopause) as early as her mid 30s while others start at various points throughout their 40s and 50s.

Most medical experts will agree that you aren't completely through menopause until you have not had your period for at least one full year.

As we know, no two women are exactly the same so none of us will experience menopause in exactly the same ways. I, personally, could not have been happier when at work one January afternoon, I experienced my first hot flash. I was 42 years old at the time. At the risk of being called pathologically and mentally unbalanced (a definite possibility), I was thrilled! I knew that menopause was not the beginning of the end for me. It was the beginning of the next phase of my life. And

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Menopause: Symptoms, relief and treatment?
We want to hear your view. Write now!