Menopause can cause a variety of reactions among women. But whether you are looking forward to the end of your reproductive days or dreading it, it is important to know what to expect during this natural change in life. It can occur anytime after the age of 35, but the typical age of onset is in the late 40s. A woman’s ovaries, the organs that produce eggs, stop making them and female hormones at this time. Menopause can be diagnosed when a woman has gone for twelve consecutive months without any bleeding. During the years following menopause, most of a woman's symptoms begin to ease, though her body can suffer some ill effects from the loss of estrogen.

Many woman are most likely to be between ages 40 and 60 years when they experience natural menopause - the average age is about 51. If you begin to go through menopause before the age of 40, it's called premature or early menopause. Perimenopause, the time leading up to menopause, can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years, but some women can remain in this stage for up to 15 years. Fluctuating hormone levels will probably cause some menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and irritability. Heavy bleeding is also a possibility due to low levels of progesterone and higher levels of estrogen.

Irregular bleeding, menstrual cycles that are longer or shorter than normal, hot flashes and night sweats are some of the more common signs. Hot flashes are a sudden flush or warmth, often followed by sweating. This is caused by hormonal changes and their effect on your body's natural regulation of its temperature. It is important to note however, that even with a list that is this varied in symptoms that not all women have the same symptoms or experience the same severity of those symptoms. Irregular spotting can also be a symptom of cervical cancer which may be picked up by a Pap test.

Menopause can bring health risks. Osteoporosis is the most common disease associated with it, because of the negative impact on bones caused by declining estrogen levels. This phase can cause drastic changes in your urinary system. As the levels of estrogen in your body begin to fall, the walls of the bladder begin to thin and need to urinate might increase.

This can be a very angry time, and women find that they no longer feel guilty about expressing the rage they may have been repressing for the last 30 years. This energy can all be directed toward some very positive avenues.

Women who smoke and are underweight tend to experience an earlier menopause, while women who are overweight often experience it later. Generally, a woman tends to experience menopause at about the same age as her mother did. Changes in appearance can be troublesome to some women because fat will often settle just above your waist, on your hips, thighs and abdomen. This phase can cause weight gain especially around the mid-section, the place that affects your health the most, so keep it under control with weight bearing aerobic activity. And don't forget to add stretching and weight training to the mix.

Women whose menstrual periods stop with chemotherapy often experience severe menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, vaginal dryness) that may be as severe as those associated with surgical menopause. Unlike the usual perimenopausal transition that lasts five to 10 years, letting a woman’s body gradually adjust to declining estrogen levels, these women suffer severe symptoms from the sudden change in hormone levels. Women feel warm or hot, and perspiration may be profuse. Hot flashes are sometimes called hot flushes because of this warming effect. Women who have a hysterectomy but have their ovaries left in place will not reach menopause at the time of surgery because their ovaries will continue to make hormones. But, because the uterus is removed, they will no longer have their periods and they cannot become pregnant.

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