What is menopause?

Traditionally, natural menopause is identified when a woman has stopped having periods for 12 months.

The ovaries stop releasing eggs and there is loss of the reproductive hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

• However, this definition is not inclusive of women who have stopped having periods due to other causes, for example due to having a hysterectomy or taking hormonal contraception. A more inclusive definition of menopause is when the function of the ovaries end.
• Menopause usually occurs between ages 45 and 55 years, with the commonest age at 51 years. Note these statistics are typically for White European women and the timings can be earlier for other ethnicities.
• If menopause occurs between 40 and 45 years, it is known as an early menopause and this affects 3-8% of women.
• Before 40 it is known as premature ovarian insufficiency, and this is experienced by 1% of women.
• Menopause can sometimes be caused by certain medications and treatments or by the removal of the ovaries. The latter is known as a surgical menopause.
• The age at which women reach menopause and the symptoms they experience can differ depending upon ethnicity. For example, the average age of menopause in women of African-Caribbean origin in the USA is 49.6 years. For Indian women in India the average age is 46.7 years and for Pakistani women it is 47.2yrs.

For more detail, see section on ethnic and cultural considerations and BMS paper:
BMS paper on menopause and ethnicity