Menopause is a normal change in a woman’s life when her period stops. A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for 12 months in a row. During menopause a woman’s body slowly makes less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This often happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years old. Some women may experience menopause at younger ages because of medical treatments such as surgery to remove the ovaries (sometimes done at the same time as a hysterectomy), family history (genes), or cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation to the pelvic area. According to U.S. Census data from 2000, there are about 37.5 million women reaching or currently at menopause (ages 40 to 59).

As women near menopause, they may have symptoms from the changes their body is making. Some women may not have any other symptoms at all. Symptoms that some women experience near menopause include hot flashes (getting warm in the face, neck, or chest), night sweats or sleeping problems that led to feeling tired, stressed or tense, vaginal changes (the vagina may become dry and thin and sex may be painful) and thinning of bones, which may lead to loss of height and bone breaks. If a woman would like to treat her symptoms, she should talk to her health care provider to discuss treatment options.

Division of Reproductive Health's: Fertility Epidemiology Studies (FES)
Fertility Epidemiology Studies (FES) conducts epidemiologic research and surveillance on fertility and other reproductive health issues throughout the lifespan, including contraceptive safety and efficacy, prevention of unintended pregnancy, menopause, and hysterectomy.

Menopause and Hormone Therapy (womenshealth.gov)

Menopause and Menopause Treatments Fact sheet (womenshealth.gov)
Also available in Spanish

Menopausal Hormone Therapy Information (National Institute of Health)
Results from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) research program.

Age Page: Menopause (National Institute on Aging)
Describes menopause—what happens in a woman’s body leading up to and after her last period and what changes to expect after that transition.

Guidance on Menopausal Hormone Therapies (Food and Drug Administration)
Science-based informational materials from FDA.

Medline Plus (National Library of Medicine)
Conduct a search for more information about menopause and other health topics.

QuickStats: Annual Rate of Visits to Office-Based Physicians and Hospital Outpatient Departments During Which Combination Estrogen-Progestin Hormone Therapy Was Prescribed for Women Aged >40 years, by Age Group—United States, 2001–2003
Source: MMWR 2006,55(38);1047.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Knowledge and Use in the United States View PDF 2.4MB
This chartbook offers researchers, healthcare professionals, and policy makers an inventory of information available about HRT use from recent nationally representative data collected by NCHS.

NAMS (North American Menopause Society)*

Pause—your complete guide to midlife health (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)*

Search PubMed for articles on Menopause
This search is being conducted on PubMed an NLM/NIH service.

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Date last updated: 2/7/2012
Date last reviewed: 2/7/2012
Content source: Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion