What Is Menopause?

What Condition Is it?

While the Chinese call it “a Woman’s Second Spring”, I call Menopause by its true name - Puberty’s Evil Older Sister! When a young woman comes upon child bearing age, there’s a cause for celebration! After all, now she can go on to have a family of her own and is able to bring the wonderful gift of children into the world! What comes much later is generally not discussed. After a flourishing fertile life, females start to lose their feminine spark. Along with this, symptoms of all types begin to rear their ugly heads. Hot Flashes that debilitate you, Night Sweats that keep you up – give me a break!

As a woman’s fertility goes, so does her sexual prowess and confidence. Where once she was a self-assured fire-cracker, now she begins to doubt herself. Has she gained weight? Is her hair falling out? That bold personality now becomes meek and passive, drained of color and life. Yes, my friends, Menopause has struck again!

Why It Occurs:

The hallmark cause for Menopause is decreased hormone production by the ovaries. While this is expected as a woman ages, the decline in available hormones can sometimes be SHARP and SUDDEN! This spells trouble for aging women as the transition can be difficult to bear.

Keep in mind - Menopause is a universal biological process that marks the end of menstrual cycles and reproductive years for women. Going through Menopause is not typically the issue, it’s the symptoms that come with the condition that drive women crazy! While Menopause is natural, the symptoms of Menopause such as weight-gain, mood-swings, fatigue and irritability are all caused by imbalanced sex hormones and can lead to physical and emotional distress.

"Menopause: Overview". Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.

Sievert, Lynnette Leidy (2006). Menopause : a biocultural perspective. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780813538563. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.