Menopause is the time in a woman's life when she stops having menstrual periods. The years leading up to this point are called peri-menopause, or "around menopause". Menopause marks the end of the reproductive years that began in puberty.

The average age that women go through menopause is 51 years. Most women enjoy a healthy lifestyle for years afterward.

Estrogen and Menstrual Changes

As menopause nears, the ovaries make less estrogen. One of the earliest and most common signs that menopause may be approaching is a change in your menstrual periods. You may skip one or more periods. The amount of flow may last a shorter or longer time than is usual for you.

Even though periods tend to be irregular around the time of menopause, you should be aware of bleeding that is not normal for you. This could be a sign of a problem. Talk to a doctor if you:

• Have a change in your monthly cycle
• Have very heavy bleeding with clots
• Have bleeding that lasts longer than normal
• Bleed more often than every 3 weeks
• Bleed after sex or between periods

At some point the ovaries stop making enough estrogen to thicken the lining of the uterus. This is when the menstrual periods stop.

A small amount of estrogen is made by other glands and body fat after menopause. Women who are very overweight may not have symptoms of menopause  because their extra body fat allows them to make estrogen even after the ovaries stop working.

Menopause can occur when a woman's ovaries are surgically removed. This may trigger severe symptoms. Women who have surgical menopause may choose to take hormones to replace those made by the ovaries.

Although the removal of the uterus (a hysterectomy) ends menstrual periods, it will not cause early menopause unless the ovaries also are removed. If the ovaries remain after surgery, most women will go through menopause around the normal age.