It’s a rite of passage that few women look forward to–menopause. The term refers to both the cessation of one’s menstrual period, and to the time of transition accompanying this event. While many women look forward to the end of feminine hygiene products, few look forward to the hormonal ups and downs that lead to night sweats, hot flashes, and emotional difficulties. Also known as the “change of life,” menopause can be quick and relatively painless or it can be a many-year process.
While menopause typically occurs as a woman ages (it generally occurs between the ages of forty-five and fifty-five), it can also result from surgical procedures that remove a woman’s reproductive organs and therefore creates a hormonal state of menopause. Many of the symptoms of menopause are the same. These can include spot bleeding, hot flashes, memory lapse, mood swings, anxiety and depression, and sexual problems.
In recent years, doctors have prescribed hormone replacement therapy for many women during and after menopause to reduce the risks of developing osteoporosis. The risks of osteoporosis, which is the result of bones weakening from loss...