THE MENOPAUSE
Terminology
The menopause or change of life is essentially that time of life when women go from their fertile years of regular menstruation to the era of absent periods free from the risk of pregnancy.
The different elements of this time zone have a confusing terminology. To the doctor, the menopause is actually the time of the cessation of periods, and the first 6 months afterwards. This is a time where hormonal patterns and bleeding and the need for contraception are uncertain.
To the patient the menopause generally indicates a variable time of life from when the periods become irregular and often heavier, until the time when they actually cease and beyond. This is medically known as the climacteric. Some people have a very long history of these symptoms, and so not all irregular and heavy periods of course are associated with the beginnings of the onset of the change of life.
The variable time either side of the menopause is the peri-menopause, and this is a time of heightened symptoms.
The post menopausal period is essentially the time after the cessation of periods when menopausal symptoms occur, and in some patients this can represent the rest of their life. For many people the symptoms will either not be a problem at all, or will settle down over the first 6 months to 2 years.
