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What is the Menopause?

Menopause is a natural part of every woman’s life. Medically, menopause is defined as the end of menstruation or your last menstrual period. It results in part from a reduced production of oestrogen by the ovaries. In Australia and New Zealand the average age at which women experience menopause is 51 but the range for women is between 45 to 55. Peri-menopause refers to the year or so before and after the last natural menstrual period.

Menopause can also occur early (under 40 years) in approximately 1% of women and also after ovarian surgery or chemotherapy. The reasons behind early menopause are unclear.

What happens at the Menopause?

Before menopause, the menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones in the body. Two of these hormones are oestrogen and progesterone which are produced by the ovaries and are circulated around the body in the blood. As the production of these hormones starts to decline, your periods become irregular and finally stop altogether. The time that your periods cease is called menopause.