
HOW CAN YOU MAKE MENOPAUSE A MORE POSITIVE EXPERIENCE?
WHAT IS MENOPAUSE? Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting in the loss of ovarian follicle development. The age at menopause appears to be genetically determined and is unaffected by race, socioeconomic status, age, or number of prior ovulations. Factors that are toxic to the ovary often result in an earlier age of menopause; for example, women who smoke experience an earlier menopause, etc. Women who have had surgery on their ovaries, or have had a hysterectomy, despite retention of their ovaries, may also experience early menopause. Although menopause is associated with changes in the hypothalamic and pituitary hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, menopause is not a central event, but rather a primary ovarian failure. At the level of the ovary, there is a depletion of ovarian follicles.…