A woman enters menopause (pronounced MEN-uh-pawz) when her ovaries stop releasing eggs. The ovaries also produce less of the hormones estrogen (pronounced ES-truh-juhn) and progesterone (pronounced proh-JES-tuh-rohn). Typically, this occurs between ages 45 and 55. At first, a woman's periods occur less often; eventually, they stop. Changes in hormones cause the symptoms of menopause. The NICHD is one of many federal agencies and NIH Institutes working to better understand menopause. The NICHD also supports and conducts research on conditions related to menopause, such as osteoporosis (pronounced os-tee-oh-puh-ROH-sis) and menopausal hormone therapy.
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Common Names
- Menopause
- Menopausal transition
- Perimenopause
- Postmenopause
- "The change"
- "The change of life"
Medical or Scientific Names
- Menopause
- Menopause transition
- Perimenopause
- Postmenopause