Menopause took a giant leap out of the closest in 1991 with Gale Sheehy's best selling book entitled, "The Silent Passage". Before its publication, menopause was an embarrassing topic, and women felt diminished by the menopause symptoms that they tolerated, usually in silence.

Ms. Sheehy's extensive research bestowed a new validity to this previously taboo subject. At last, American women felt liberated! They were able to view menopause in its true light: The very manageable step before living the most dynamic years of her life.

How is menopause defined? It is the time when a woman ceases to have any menstrual period for at least a year. Menopausal symptoms occur when hormonal levels are out of balance, and specifically, estrogen levels drop.

Estrogen and progesterone, and to a lesser extent testosterone, are the primary female sex hormones. During a woman's menstrual years, hormones take turns controlling the maturity and release of her egg and preparing the uterus for a possible pregnancy. Around the time of ovulation, testosterone pumps up her sex drive. If there is no pregnancy, a menstrual cycle resumes and the cycle starts again. This is the optimum way hormones work in balance.

THE FIRST STAGE: PERI MENOPAUSE

The aging process tips the scale on normal hormonal fluctuations. Peri menopause is often the reason that some women, sometimes even in their late 30's, feel symptoms similar to menopause. It is not unusual for this to happen, even 10-15 years before a woman's menstrual cycle actually stops completely.

Peri menopause symptoms include irregular periods, heavy bleeding, hot flashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dry eyes, vaginal changes, hair loss, weight gain, loss of libido or extreme emotional distress. It is important to check with your doctor to rule out other medical conditions. A pregnancy is possible during peri menopause.

ABOUT MENOPAUSE

Menopause usually occurs naturally in women, but 25% of American women enter menopause due to a medical treatment such as a hysterectomy. No matter the woman's age after surgery, she will experience many of the same symptoms as older women passing into menopause naturally.

* Hot flashes, night sweats
* Sleep disorders such as insomnia
* Mood swings, irritability, depression
* Decreased libido, vaginal dryness
* Fuzzy thinking, decreased or impaired memory and attention
* Increased food cravings, weight gain, and difficulty controlling blood

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