The condition of menopause occurs to every woman when it’s time. Menopause means that a woman does not have menstrual periods for 12 months. It begins with changes in menstrual cycle length and finishes with the last menstrual period. There are also differentiated the periods of perimenopause (the time around menopause) and postmenopause (all the time after the final period).

Menopause defines the certain period in a woman’s life when ovaries loose their former functionality. Ovaries represent reproductive glands; they produce female hormones (estrogenes) and are responsible for the control of how female body develops: the breasts, body shape, and body hair. The hormones as well are in charge of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy; they also protect the bones. The time around menopause is as crucial for any woman as it is different.

The period of menopause and its progress is defined by the individual characteristics of every woman. There are woman who will have very few symptoms and there are those who will have it all and suffer a lot. Still, regardless of the individual representation some symptoms are more frequent.

The first one is irregular vaginal bleeding. It is not a common symptom, thus, some woman can have unpredictable, excessive bleeding. In general, bleedings in this period can also be connected with decrease in fertility (though this does not guarantee that a woman cannot become pregnant).

Another common symptom is hot flashes. Very frequently they are accompanied by night sweats. Hot flashes are feelings of warmth spreading all over the body and can be more expressed in the head and chest. Their duration can be from half a minute to several minutes and they usually cause the feeling of exhaustion in the morning due to frequent awaking.

Vaginal symptoms come as consequences of the vagina lining tissues thinning and drying, when it becomes less elastic. A woman may experience vaginal dryness, itching, or irritation and dyspareunia; there is also a greater risk of vaginal infections in this period.

As estrogen levels decline the urethra lining also becomes dryer, thinner, and less elastic.

Some changes also occur in cognitive and emotional sphere. Some women can have problems with memory and mood; some experience fatigue. Some women undergo weight changes and can develop more wrinkles or impairment of acne condition if this was the case. There are also cases of hair growth on the face, chest and stomach due to the small production of male hormone. Behavioral changes are inevitable but their origin can be as well connected to other conditions as well as to menopause.